Don't Forget Us
by Pure-Pen
Summary: [Chapter 22 Up!]--Sequel to Don't Speak--Adam and Josie are back and stronger than ever... or so he thought...
1. Prologue::Christmas Break

Title: Don't Forget Us  
  
Author: Pure-Pen (a.k.a. KatieGurl!)  
  
Dedication: My adoring fans perhaps? Just Kidding! I doubt I have fans, but I do have some kick ass reviewers. Go you!  
  
Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing. I don't own the Ducks (now matter how hard I wish) and I have no artistic claim over Adam (much to my sadness) or any other Duck. They belong to Steven Brill and Disney. I do have claims over Josie and other original characters, but I doubt they are worth anything. I'm just a regular teen, using the Ducks as an outlet for my stress.  
  
Notes: Hmm . . . You might have to read my other story (Don't Speak) to understand this one, seeing it is the sequel. But its 50 chapters you say? Yes I do realize this (seeing I wrote it). And yes, I do realize that it's like a small novel. So I'll tell you what, you don't understand something, ask me in your review and I'll answer it in my author's notes at the end at every chapter. There are no stupid questions. But, if you want to read the prequel (which would be cool!), go right ahead because, well just because! Oh and this entire story is going to be in Adam point of view, unless otherwise stated ok? On with the story!!  
  
~Prologue~  
  
Christmas.  
  
Ok, you think Christmas and you think, happy, presents, family, friends, turkey, mistle toe etc. etc. etc.  
  
And don't get me wrong, I think the same things. I can see my mother pulling an absolute gigantic turkey out of the oven, even though we all know that we would never ever need a turkey that big. And of course, my father will be standing in the doorway shaking his head, muttering quiet curses. No matter how much we eat Christmas Day, we'll all be eating turkey for two weeks, and we will swear off that dreaded bird for life. And yet, a year later we're in the exact same position, saying the exact same words.  
  
I can see my brother being his quietest he can be in his drunken state stumbling in on Christmas Day at eleven at night and trying his hardest to be inconspicuous, exactly the way he had been since he was seventeen. And I know the exact lie I'll use the next morning; too much turkey. And I know exactly what my parents will do; they'll pity him and stay as far away from his room as possible.  
  
Unfortunately, my parents have this funny rule about Christmas. I'm not aloud to leave the house until Boxing Day. My father's words are: "It's a family holiday. Even your little friends have family . . . don't they?" That means I'm separated from the Ducks until the 26th until I'm able to escape the clutches of my obsessive father, alcoholic brother and mother who is nuttier than a can of cashews.  
  
"Adam!"  
  
I groan inwardly at the sound of my mother's voice at the bottom of the stairs. I no sooner barricade myself into my bedroom and my parents need me. What now? I think back. I haven't done anything to piss off my father and I'm sure that none of the Ducks or Josie called.  
  
Curious, I drop 'A Christmas Carol', a book I've read way too many times and open my door and look over the banister at my mother who is standing in the middle of the foyer. "Yes?" I ask in my politest voice, mimicking a character from a 50's sitcom.  
  
My mother smiles up at me holding up a computer disk. "I was going to send out your coat for dry cleaning before the McGill's Christmas party and I found this in your pocket." I quietly groaned. I so did not want to go to that party. My mother obliviously twisted a piece of naturally golden hair behind her ear and continued. "Is it any good?"  
  
I raced down the stairs finally realizing what it was, skidding to a quick stop in front of her, snatching the disk out of her hand. "Thanks mom. I was looking for that." I lied. In truth, I had forgotten about that little black disk since I left Eden Hall. That little disk that Will gave me that one day. He was such a jerk.  
  
My mother smiled, proud that she was a help. "Good." She patted my shoulder. "Did Josie give that to you?"  
  
I swallowed. I never really liked lying to my mother, because my mother was fairly oblivious to my life. She vaguely knew that I played hockey because of the trophies through the house, although, probably wasn't all that sure of my position, but she wasn't really a hockey person in the first place. She knew I had a girlfriend, mainly because my father didn't like it and he probably told her so while they were reading before going to sleep, that and the fact that she thought it was adorable that her baby had a girlfriend. Gag me . . . "Yeah . . . Josie gave me it before I came home."  
  
My mother nodded. "I think its adorable; you and Josie."  
  
I nodded and walked back up to my room at a slower pace. Just because some jerk, William Hayworth, whose name even sounds stuck up, gave the disk to me, doesn't mean that I wasn't the littlest bit curious about what was on it. He said that I needed it more than he did. So what was on it?  
  
I walked into my room and closed the door quietly and walked over to my desk, opening my lap top and bit my lip. It could be a virus. He was probably trying to prank me by giving me a disk, saying it was about my girlfriend, knowing that I was going to be curious to find out about her before she came to Minnesota and just put some virus on it that would crash my computer. "Like I'm going to fall for that." I scoffed and aimed to toss the black disk into the trash can that was across the room.  
  
I was about to take my shot when I suddenly considered otherwise. Maybe it did have something valuable on it. Maybe it was just her family tree, like just a project she did in the forth grade or some stupid quiz about her dream guy that she took a few months ago. I frowned and sat it on my desk. I could always just pop it into my computer and do a little virus scan before I opened the contents, right? That way I could know for sure.  
  
Damn me and my curious nature. I slid the disk into the drive and pulled open the contents on my computer. I blinked. No virus. Ok, so there was no virus. That gave me the right away to open the disk and read the contents about my girlfriend. I brought the cursor over the first document and bit my lip.  
  
The picture that I had framed of me and Josie that sat on my desk caught my eye. Dammit. What if I opened this and found out something that I didn't want to know. I wouldn't be able to look at her the same way. What if it was something really personal, like she had an extra toe or something and she didn't want me to know. She would flip if she found out. For course I would get rid of the disk, but what if I let it slip.  
  
Ok, I'm over exaggerating. I've seen Josie's feet. She had no extra toes. She's a completely normal teenager. No weird body quirks except for maybe a double jointed thumb, but that barely constitutes for complete utmost secrecy.  
  
I scoffed and double clicked the icon making the document pop up.  
  
"Hey Adam!"  
  
I jumped, slamming the screen down and spinning around in my desk chair, trying to seem completely innocent as I looked at my brother, Jay. The supposedly 'perfect' son, the one I was supposed to be like. "Yeah?"  
  
He frowned. "What are you doing Baby? Downloading porn or something?" He snickered.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm finishing an essay."  
  
My brother blinked. "Your classes don't start until January. How could you have homework?" My brother asked suspiciously.  
  
"Essay contest." I spat out quickly.  
  
My brother rolled his eyes. "Brown-noser." He mocked. Yeah, Jay was a jerk, and an asshole; always has been and always will be, but he's blood.  
  
"What do you want Jacob?" I replied, intentionally using his full first name.  
  
"What did I tell you about using that name?" he growled angrily.  
  
I scoffed. Both of my parents were home and the door was open. I could say almost anything to Jay and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it without my hard ass father trudging up the stairs. Just because my Columbia freshman, soccer and tennis playing, alcoholic brother was the favorite in my father's eyes, didn't mean he could beat me up without getting a long drawn out lecture, which bother he and I liked to avoid at any cost. "What do you want?" I asked again, getting rather frustrated. I really wanted to find out what that document said.  
  
Jay rolled his eyes quickly. He was going to ask a favor even though he hated the fact that he needed me, his little 'annoying' brother. He and I used to be inseparable while I was a Hawk. Then the Ducks came along and we stopped and he added the annoying part, not that I minded. I finally realized that he was a jerk and I was a jerk and all my friends were jerks. We were like a big example of extreme jerkiness! "Make sure you pick up the phone if anyone calls. If it's Mickey tell him to call my cell. If its, Amy tell her I'm in Canada or something."  
  
I rolled my eyes and turned back to my computer. "What kind of name is Mickey?" I scoffed.  
  
My brother sneered. "I don't know, what kind of name is the fucking Ducks?"  
  
I spun around in my chair. "Shut up Jay."  
  
He shrugged. "Quack, quack." He mocked as he closed the door.  
  
I grumbled as I spun around in my chair back to my computer. Ah . . . yes. I lifted the screen so I could see and began to read aloud.  
  
"February 14th, Valentine's Day is supposed to me the most romantic day of the year, am I right? Well, it turns out that Peter decided that today he was going to dump the worst news on me that he could. He's quitting skating A.S.A.P. I can't believe him. I mean, it's always been him and me. Now, he's going to just go after everything? I mean we're so close to Regionals that I can taste it. We're ready and now he wants to quit? I made him promise to do our last competition in Eau Claire that's on the 20th. God, why now?"  
  
My stomach sank. It was her diary. I was reading my girlfriend's diary. I felt like pond scum. I felt lower than pond scum. I wasn't just reading her diary, but I was reading her diary that was during the hardest time of her life so far.  
  
But I couldn't help but be the littlest bit intrigued. I already knew all of this. I just didn't know the specific details and Josie was always saying that I had no way of knowing what she felt or how she feels so this was a win-win situation. I would just be sure to get rid of the disk afterwards. Besides I wouldn't read the really personal stuff, just the important stuff about Peter.  
  
I skipped ahead. She said that the competition was on the 20th, so that was the day he died so I should got to the 21st. I scrolled down finally coming across it, chewing on my bottom lip nervously.  
  
"February 21st. He's gone."  
  
I blink. That's it? Out of everything she could have said that's what she wrote? He's gone? I quickly move onto the next day, but realize that there is nothing. I frown. I close out the document and move onto the second. I read the first date. April 7th. She didn't write for over a month. I take a breath and read what she had written.  
  
"I miss him so much. It isn't fair that he is gone. He didn't do anything. He had too much going for him. He was too smart. He didn't even want to go to that stupid competition. My therapist says that God had a bigger plan for Peter than we on Earth ever could. I guess my parents informed him that I've been going to church since before I could walk and have been fed that crap before I could even understand the concept of death. Out of all the people I know Peter didn't deserve to be snatched away from us like that and it is my fault that he was. My therapist is trying to convince me otherwise but I know it isn't true. My dad is moving us too, saying that there are better job opportunities in Northern Minnesota, but I know that's bull. Daddy dearest is just trying to escape all the side glances at work. He was also telling me they have good private schools there too. He's saying that because he wants them to keep an eye on me after the incident."  
  
I blinked and rescanned the paragraph. Incident? What incident? Did she mean the car accident? I frowned and continued reading.  
  
"Turns out I have to turn over all of my journal entries too. My therapist, or should I say 'Mitch', which he wants me to call him so we can get 'close' and my parents agree. They want to know when I'm sad and when I'm angry and all that bullshit. I swear if I find any of this crap in some book that 'Mitch' writes in his future, I'm suing his ass."  
  
I smirked. That sounded so her, but it wasn't what I was looking for. I still had no clue what the 'Incident' was. It was important.  
  
I skipped over a couple paragraphs. Most saying how much of a jerk her father was, one about how his 'Mitch' guy was a complete and utter moron. Finally coming to something interesting.  
  
"I didn't even mean to, is the ironic thing. I've seen the reaction to a completely sudden death like Peter's so why would I try to commit suicide? It was an accident. Completely. I've tried time and time again to explain to everyone that I didn't mean to hurt myself, I swear. I just couldn't sleep while thinking about him. It wasn't even intentional. Now, my father looks at me like I'm a loon and my mother, oh God, my mother. She's completely hysterical. I mean all the time and it doesn't help with Mitch on my back asking me how I 'feel' about Peter's death and how I feel about the 'cuts', or the incident as my parents have labeled it. I call it an accident, but they wouldn't listen to me right? Of course not. I just can't wait until going to my new school, where no one knows me. Like God, yeah that's going to help. Sure, it sucks having people looking at me funny, but I don't want to have to explain this to everyone. I don't want anyone to know about it, not anyone."  
  
I stopped. Ok, she didn't want anyone to know so what was I doing reading something that was so personal to her?  
  
The phone ringing throughout the house popped me out of my thoughts as I rushed toward it, making sure my father didn't get to it before I did.  
  
"Hello?" I asked nervously.  
  
"Hey Adam!"  
  
I sighed in relief as I realized it was Charlie. "Hey Captain." I breathed and looked toward the door, hoping like hell my father didn't come through the door.  
  
"What are you doing right now Cake-eater? A bunch of the guys are going down to the pond and you and I both know you want to get out of that house. I bet your reading." He laughed. If only he knew.  
  
I bit my lip. "I would but my dad. He's weird about Christmas. I doubt I could get out." I mumbled as I heard footsteps up the stairs. "Could you hold?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah." He replied. I clicked the hold and put the phone on my desk and turned back to my computer, trying to act natural.  
  
My door opened quietly, the hinges squeaking the littlest bit. "Son?"  
  
I spun around my chair and smiled at my father. He didn't look mad, just suspicious. "Yeah Dad?"  
  
He blinked his icy blue eyes. "Who was that on the phone?"  
  
I blinked and looked back at the phone. "Phone?" I asked pretending to be oblivious. If he knew it was Charlie he would flip. "Oh . . . telemarketer. Asking if you needed your carpets cleaned. I told them we only had hardwood."  
  
My father smiled. "Oh ok." He closed the door behind him as I let out a quick sigh of relief as I reached for the cordless phone and brought Charlie off hold.  
  
"Charlie?"  
  
"Your father?" He asked knowing. It was weird how he could just guess. It wasn't like this was the first time either. Before my new phone I had to hide it when my father came in. Hockey bag, under a pillow, in my closet, under a pile of clothes. I finally got tired of hiding it and invested in a phone that had hold.  
  
"You know it." I mumbled.  
  
I heard a groan on the other end. "I'm guessing that means you can't come."  
  
"Wow you're psychic." I replied unenthusiastically.  
  
"He can't come with, guys!" I heard Charlie yell as he covered the speaker. "Have you heard from Josie yet?"  
  
I groaned again. "No, she's in Vermont. Stupid parents." I grumbled eying my computer.  
  
"Man that sucks."  
  
I sighed and turned my back to my computer. I couldn't look at it anymore. It made me feel sick. I shouldn't know that stuff.  
  
I heard Charlie cover the speaker again with his hand, his voice sounding mumbled but I could make out what he was saying. "Yeah, I get it Jesse." He sighed. "Jesse's bitching at me saying that the pond is melting while I'm talking with you. I'll talk to you later Cake-eater."  
  
I smirked. "Later Charlie."  
  
A dial tone met my ears and I hung up quickly, looking back at my computer. I guess I hadn't lost all my jerkiness like I thought. . .  
  
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A/N: Wow! It's been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry you guys! I told you the story was going to be up in a couple days and it well . . . has been more than a couple days! My good computer with my stories crapped out on me and I had to re-write the first chapter. Actually I had a completely different first chapter in mind but I like this better so . . . this is what you get! So now you know what was on the disk! Ok, not so surprising. But anyways. I'll do some shout outs from the prequel to this story. I do this at the end of every chapter for all the reviewers because you kick ass!! I mean you spend time reviewing; you should at least get a response right? That's at least what I think.  
  
Shout outs!!  
  
Erica- *twists and sequels* Hey you!! Oh!! I'm so happy for you and your new boyfriend! It's totally ok! You have a life!! You're totally entitled to that! Just drop by every once in a while and I'll be happy! I'm on spring break too!! The sad thing is that it snowed here. That kind of defeats the purpose of spring break doesn't it? *sigh* oh well. I'm so glad you enjoyed my last chapters of Don't Speak! It was a totally fun story to write and I'm hoping this one will be just like it! I'm just a teen blowing off steam so . . . we'll see! Sorry about the wait!! Good talking to you again!  
  
Rach- Hey!! Good you picked up Averman right?? *laughs* He was excited to meet you, especially you were writing a story about him. (That was you right? *sigh* everyone is telling me their writing a story and I don't remember who said what!) You do have American charm! Did you pick up on my Canadian hospitality? *giggles* I am Canadian! I am proud to be living in my country! Unfortunately I've never been to Washington State. Sorry. I wish I did though! In the future I'll be sure to do some major traveling though! It was about time Jay did something halfway decent for Adam don't you think? And yes she's staying! I can't wait to hear from you!!  
  
Shelbers- It's ok! I'm happy to have Charlie back!! We missed our Captain didn't we guys? *All Ducks nod* Have fun on your vacation! I'm glad you'll be following this one too!! I can't wait to hear from you!!  
  
Tara- Oh . . . such a short review. S'ok. No biggie. I'm glad you enjoyed my story and I'm sorry you couldn't find my sequel up right away, but well if you read my author's note you'd understand! I hope to be hearing from you again!! Later!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- *squeals with you* She did! She did!! It was like one of those romance stories we're suckers for!! I know I am!! You almost cried? Whoa. . . I wasn't expecting that! Blah!! I'm typing too quickly! I keep making mistakes!! Ok, I doubt you'll read my story over and over. It's too long!! Whoa that is a sign! Creepy! Yeah next to Portman, Banksie would probably look like a wuss; however I highly doubt he is. Yeah total randomness but that's ok! WHOA!! Did you know that randomness was a word? I didn't!! Ok, now I can use it in my classes and bug the teachers!! *shakes head* Anyways. Later!! Enjoy my sequel!  
  
Beaner! - Hey I missed you since the last time I talked to you which was . . . last night? *giggles* Hey Guy!! Went to your Grammy's? *stops and realizes another Twilight Zone thing* You call your grandmother Grammy? I call mine Granny. For serious. *cries* Katie I'm scared! Talent? No. I think I have anger problems that come out in unusual stories. Katie, I would have thought, after talking to me, you wouldn't be surprised over anything that I put in. *shakes head* Ok we won't get into the subject of your hick neighbors that you want to use as punching bags. As long as you don't use Guy as one. He's too cute . . . hot . . . smoking . . . *slowly drools* *Adam and Fulton frown and author continues* What was I saying? My story could have been better, so hopefully my sequel will make up for it. Are you happy I finally explained what was on the disk? Are you going to be singing in all your reviews? Can I have Guy!!! *stops and realizes he was gift* Oh. . . I forgot. *sigh* I miss Guy. There, my sequel is finally started!! Aren't you proud of me? I am! Ok, that's it!! Later!!  
  
OreoLine00- They sort of lived happily ever after. Just wait. I'm glad you liked the ending! I was like; I don't want it just to end right at the car, because how cliché is that? Like every teen movie ends RIGHT there. I'm on your top five? Holy crap. Like thanks!! Thanks for sticking through my tedious story and hopefully you'll be able to stick through my sequel! You kick ass!! Later!  
  
Ok, that's my shout outs!! Hopefully you'll review! That would be cool. Criticism is welcomed (I need it to improve!). Remember this is just the prologue and just the beginning, so it can only get better from here! So review! Keep reading!! And I'll talk to you later!!  
  
~Toodles!  
  
KatieGurl! 


	2. Road Runner Clouds

*Two Months Later*  
  
I woke up suddenly to a rustling in my room. I smirked know exactly what was going on. Poor, poor Averman; he never was the quiet, sneaky type. I reached behind me and grabbed onto one of the extra hockey sticks that were everywhere around our room and sat up abruptly.  
  
"Averman put down my clean pants and slowly step away from them before I visualize your head as the puck." I ordered, rolling my eyes. "And everyone, else the same." I replied in monotone. I shook my head at the usual suspects; Averman, Dwayne, Russ, Goldberg and Mendoza.  
  
Averman tossed my clean khakis on the floor in mock anger. "Damn it Banks! The polite thing to do would be to pretend that you didn't hear us and not bust us."  
  
I rolled my eyes and got out of bed, collecting my clean clothes from their arms and tossing them on my bed. So much for freshly pressed. I turned around and frowned at them all. "What were you doing anyways?"  
  
Averman nodded and Dwayne who tossed an aerosol can at me which I quickly caught. I turned it over and quickly looked over the label. "Spray stench?"  
  
Russ shrugged and smirked. "Extra strength."  
  
I sighed. "Ok, everyone out." I replied ushering the Ducks out into the hall, Averman included. "Out, out. Take your spray stench." I replied shoving the can into Russ's arms.  
  
Averman panicked. "Banksie, you can't kick me out! I'm not ready and my key is in my coat!" He yelped trying to push past me.  
  
I shrugged. "Should've thought of that before you tried to spray stench me." I mocked closing the door in his face and locking it quickly behind me. Ah . . . pay back against a roommate is always sweet.  
  
"Banksie!" I heard Averman yelp as he flung his entire body at the door.  
  
I chuckled as I grabbed a white button up shirt and threw it over me shoulders and doing up the buttons one by one and grabbing a grey sweater from my closet and pulling it over my head.  
  
A thud on the other side of the door interrupted me looking for a pair of less wrinkled khakis. "Banks!" Averman yelled again, his fists probably pounding on the door.  
  
"It's your own fault! I laughed as I pulled on my pants and walked over to the door letting him in before walking into our washroom. "But I'm a merciful person."  
  
Averman eyed me as he rubbed his shoulder, obviously the one he had been using to run into our door. "It was just a joke." He grumbled as walked over to his bed and looked under it.  
  
I placed my comb back into its usual spot. "A joke, which would make me smell like a gym sock all day."  
  
"Actually a couple of weeks. The spray is waterproof." He replied opening my closet doors and tearing through the bottom of it.  
  
I frowned as he tossed some of my hockey stuff across the room. "Hey, why are you going through my closet?!" I yelped collecting my stuff off the floor and putting it on my bed beside my large pile of clothes.  
  
"My shoe; It's gone." He replied crawling further into my closet.  
  
"And why would they be in my closet?" I asked shaking my head grabbing onto his jean jacket and dragging him out of my closet.  
  
He rolled his eyes as if I had asked the stupidest question in the world. "Because. . ." He replied aggravated. "I kicked them off my feet last night, and I didn't watch where they flew, and your closet is in direct path from my bed. Duh. . ." He added for good measure.  
  
I blinked. "Stupid me. Why didn't I think of that?" The sarcasm that was laced with my words went completely over his head.  
  
He shrugged and went back to searching through my closet. I sighed and sat down on my bed and looked over at him, watching Averman carefully just in case he came across something breakable.  
  
"Eureka!" He yelped coming up with a red converse shoe and began to shove it on his foot. He stopped and frowned, reaching into his shoe pulling out a little piece of black plastic. He frowned and looked it over. "Banks? Why are you putting black computer disks into my shoes?"  
  
I jumped off my bed and grabbed the disk out of his hands, looking it over. Josie's name in big bold letters stood out on the label. Shit, I forgot to get rid of it. "I didn't; it must've fallen from a shelf." I replied quickly grabbing my coat from the hook on the back of the door and slipping my arms into it, and shoving the disk in my pocket. "I'm hungry. I'm going to go. See you later." I rambled at a lightning speed, making sure I had my keys. "We have practice at four!" I reminded him as I slammed the door behind me and rushed down the hall.  
  
God! How could I be so careless!  
  
~*~  
  
My stomach dropped as I walked into the dining hall. Not because of the slop that the cafeteria women served me this morning, which vaguely looked like scrambled eggs, charred bacon and burnt toast (not that it doesn't help), but because Josie was sitting with the Ducks. Not that I don't want my friends and my girlfriend interacting, in fact I encourage it full- heartedly, but I have major incriminating evidence in my pocket that I was almost certain that I disposed of, but obviously, seeing it was in my pocket, didn't.  
  
I met eyes with Ken who immediately waved me over to our regular table. "Adam!" He called waving his hand in greeting.  
  
Josie turned around in her chair, disrupting the regular loud debate that she and Charlie have almost everyday before school, usually about hockey and sometimes it strays off into the consistent argument of men versus women which neither would give up on. I think everyone has agreed that they argue for one sole reason: they both love to argue. "Hey!" she grinned blowing a quick kiss to me and motioning to the open seat beside her before her attention shifted back to Charlie on her right.  
  
I smiled and took the seat poking the metal fork at the yellow rubbery eggs.  
  
"Charlie! I can't believe you would say that! Women can do everything a man can do and more, sometimes even better than said man. Take Julie and Goldberg." She pointed out.  
  
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Then why do they separate men and women in the Olympics? It's because men are clearly stronger, faster and better. And I have nothing against women, believe me, I love them to death, but its common knowledge that men are genetically stronger in those ways."  
  
"What about Julie?"  
  
Julie perked up from her book and smiled at Charlie. "Yeah Charlie, what about me?"  
  
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Julie is an exception to that rule. Julie is like a really feminine guy."  
  
"Thanks Charlie." Julie frowned and turned back to her book.  
  
I rolled my eyes and decided now was the time to save one of my best friends from the quicksand this debate was slowly turning into, insuring the he could still possibly get a date before he blew it. "Josie, did you get last night's math homework?"  
  
Josie looked over at me as if I were completely crazy. "We worked on it together you loser." She replied laughing. "Or did you forget?"  
  
Charlie mouthed a quick thank-you and lowered his head so Josie wouldn't notice him and start up their daily argument again.  
  
"Forgot I guess." I replied returning to poking the yellow rubber on my plate that seemed to jiggle oddly. I shivered. The one set back to staying at the Eden Hall dorms; the breakfasts sucked. Lunch and dinner were pretty good, but breakfast was the terrifying meal.  
  
Josie looked down at my food and grimaced. "You do that everyday." She laughed setting an apple on my tray. "Stick to fresh fruit or cereal and you'll be fine."  
  
I sighed and picked up the apple, even though it pained me that she was right. She hadn't even been here a year and she knew that. Why was I so slow at this? "Thanks." I mumbled. I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes. I felt as if I were going to be sick. "I got to get my books." I mumbled and quickly got up.  
  
Josie got up with me. "I'll come. My photography class is right around the corner from your locker." She smiled.  
  
"No!" I yelped, getting odd looks from everyone on my team, and possibly the surrounding tables. "I've got to go to my dorms. I forgot my . . ." Crap I didn't think that far ahead. ". . . Gym clothes?" I scolded myself for coming up with a lie so lame. "And I don't want to make you late."  
  
She blinked confused as she settled back into her seat, looking up at me. "Oh . . . okay." Her voice wavered slightly. "I'll see you at lunch then."  
  
I blinked. "Can't . . . I'm . . . going to start researching this big project during lunch." I explained away. Gah! I can't believe myself. I'm such a jerk.  
  
She frowned rubbing her neck nervously as an embarrassed blush crept onto her cheeks. "You are coming to math right? I mean you aren't skipping it; are you?"  
  
I nodded quickly. Hopefully by then I'll have my thoughts straightened out. "Yeah, of course, math."  
  
A tiny concerned smile slipped onto her lips. "Ok . . . I'll see you then."  
  
I nodded, kissing her forehead quickly and fleeing the dining hall with an apple and my book bag not daring to look back at the disappointment that probably had taken over Josie's face. I could feel the guilt in my stomach bubble angrily. I shook my head as I rushed to my locker, twirling the lock with ease. What are you talking about Adam Banks?! My inner voice seemed to yell. That is not guilt you're hungry!  
  
I nodded, trying to agree with him . . . it . . . whatever. I looked down at the bright green, Granny Smith apple and put it on the top shelf. It seemed to stare back at me. I shook my head again. I must look like the biggest freak; staring at an apple in my locker. What was my life coming to?  
  
~*~  
  
I groaned as I sat down in my second period Spanish class. I really hated this class. I have nothing against the language or anything, it's just that I'm completely content with speaking English, and if I ever do travel to a foreign country; my father has enough money to hire a translator for me.  
  
Unfortunately, Eden Hall has this weird rule about having to take a foreign language for two years to actually graduate and the choices were French, Spanish or German. I figured I'd take Spanish because I already knew how to count to three and how to say please. Oh joy.  
  
Julie took a seat in front of me before class started and turned around to face me. "Hey Banksie, are you ok?"  
  
I frowned. "What a stupid question." I scoffed at her. "Of course I'm ok." I replied with a sharp tongue. Wow, when did I become so cynical? I blinked, staring at her shocked face. "Sorry Jules. I'm not having a good day."  
  
She bit her lip in concern, curling a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Obviously. What happened?" She whispered.  
  
I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
Julie bit her lip. "Is it Josie? Did something happen between you two?"  
  
"No, nothing happened between Josie and I. It's a completely unrelated topic and it's completely irrational for you to think that something between me and Josie is amuck." I replied quickly, lying through my teeth.  
  
Julie blinked unconvinced. "Those are some pretty big words for saying that you and Josie are fine."  
  
"Josie and I are fine. Better?" I sighed.  
  
Julie licked her lips. "No. I still think something is up, especially after what happened at breakfast." The second bell tolled around us and she got up to take her assigned seat near the back of the class.  
  
"Nothing happened at breakfast!" I called after her.  
  
"Sure."  
  
I sighed and rested my chin on the heel of my hand.  
  
"¡Hola la clase!" Our perky Spanish teacher said in a thick accent. "¿Estamos listos para empezar?"  
  
"Sí . . ." Our entire class replied in monotone.  
  
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A/N: Ok I can't do a big author's note because I have my parentals breathing down my neck (something about being on the computer too much . . .), so I'm going to say (quickly) that I'm excited, that you're excited about my sequel! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to hear feedback!  
  
Shout outs!  
  
OreoLine00- Hey you! Yes it's finally up! I was excited to post it and it's even better when I get reviews like yours, despite the odd randomness . . . I'm not hungry . . . *blinks*. Yup! New chapter and I updated quick! I'm proud! Good job!! Go Panthers!! *waves pom-poms in your school colors* Good luck on your next game, whenever that is!  
  
Joc- Oh. . . I know! I felt so bad for writing such a long story for your sake! But then I talked to Katie and she said I was crazy for thinking that because she was glad it was long . . . and then I got really confuzzled! But I'm always like that! Read Don't Speak at your leisure! No pressure! I don't think I'll whip you with a wet noodle because that's just odd, if that's ok. You liked my jerkiness paragraph? Killer!! Jay reminds you of your dad? Ok . . . that's odd. If you get confused just ask me or Katie, seeing she's basically an expert on my story. . . As soon as you figure out what you were going to say, drop me a line ok? I can't wait for your next review! Later!!  
  
Beaner!!- I'm getting really angry at my spellchecker because whenever I type in your nickname it keeps changing it to Beanery and that's just weird. I don't even know what a beanery is! Yeah, her journal. Adam did a bad bad thing and I'm not going to say if she would be mad because that would give away my plot! For now, Adam is racked with guilt and I'm not saying anything more. Yes, I miss Guy and all his sexy goodness *wipes away drool* but I have Adam and Fulton and they aren't bad entire. I mean Adam has his sexy goodness and those baby blue eyes and Fulton he has . . . well he's Fulton!! Not too bad eh?? You don't have to sing in all your reviews! They get too long and my inbox got all bitchy because of it. *sighs* stupid hotmail. Yeah, I won't take Guy back. I promise. I miss him though. Give him a squeeze for me ok? Later!  
  
Shelbers- Using a friend's computer hmmm . . . okay! I thought it would be a cool set up! I hope you liked this chapter seeing we're back into Eden Hall. Anyways! Later!  
  
Rachel- Yes it's here! Did you ever doubt me? Yeah, my computer had a blip and that's my excuse! I bet it's not that boring in Washington! My goal is to visit all 50 states one day! Not sure why! *sends Averman a virtual huggle* We miss you too!! Adam especially! He misses his roommate, but of course, him being the manly man that he is *Fulton snorts behind Katie* *author turns and slaps Fulton in the gut* he would never admit that. Sorry that you weren't in the last chapter, but you were kind of implied. When Charlie said a bunch of the guys were going down to the pond, you were included. No worries. I'm planning on having you in the story like crazy. You've one of my favorites you know! I have witty humor *blushes*. You're too sweet. Jay, was creepy when he was nice? Well he'll make a couple of appearances too. Oh, and we kind of had a flash forward here, so the Ducks were good little Ducklings and didn't break him out of his 'jail'. Yes, I'm back to normal and hopefully I'll have my regular *world famous* updates as usual! Take care of Les for me! Later!  
  
Angela (SqUiDsLiLpYrO) - Ok I checked your profile to find an easier name to write. As much as I love your screen name, it is a bitch to type out! So, I'm going to just put your author's notes under your first name ok? I couldn't have picked a better time to put up this story? Killer! My spring break unfortunately is coming to a close as well *sigh*. However this means more updates for you so I can relax and get rid off all of my stress. It's all good. Yeah, that evil evil disk. *shrugs* we'll see what happens won't we? I'm glad you enjoy my sequel and have fun drooling over Mike Vitar!! *giggles* Later!!  
  
Ok, that's all my shout outs! Okay . . . let's see what do I have to say about this chapter. Oh, excuse my Spanish! I've never taken Spanish in my life, and I'm just using a free translation site on the net! So please don't review me saying that 'you said the donkey puts his hand up and wags his tail, in Spanish! Are you on crack?' *laughs* Ok, I doubt it actually says that, but I'm just a lowly Canadian, who has taken French her entire life and I only know how to say hello, count to three, and please in Spanish. It should have said, 'Hello class, are you ready to begin?' Uh . . . That's about it, so yeah, I'll try not to use anymore Spanish, but it was kind of necessary seeing they were in Spanish class. Anyways, that's it. Later!  
  
REVIEW  
  
~Toodles  
  
KatieGurl! 


	3. And I'm a body switching alien

The lightness of the rifle in my hands scared me as carefully slipped a pair of bullets into the compartment and jerked it up with a quite noise. The noise echoed around me in this small clearing that I was in. Now that the gun was loaded, it felt a hundred times heavier and it made me feel so much more powerful. More powerful than I had in my entire lifetime.  
  
I looked both ways before creeping out of my hiding spot following a path that was only marked by the grass that had been squashed by the many before me. After a few minutes of walking I stopped and looked through the reeds at a serene sight. A pond. I could feel a calm smile turn up the corners as my mouth as I aimed my shot. I'd only have one so I'd have to make it worth it. I wanted the leader of the pack . . . the flock. My finger twitched at the trigger, the gun going off with a blast, my eyes widening as I realize what I had done. . .  
  
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"Charlie!" I yelped, realizing I was in a forest with a gun, but in my Spanish classroom, with the first bell ringing in my ears, signaling lunch. "I killed him . . ."  
  
"Hey Banksie, are you okay?" Kenny asked cautiously walking up to my desk and watching the rest of our class as the filed out of one of the many classrooms of Eden Hall.  
  
I panted, my eyes widening as I stared down at my notebook. "I killed Charlie. I shot him in cold blood. I can't believe it, Charlie's dead!" I yelped my mind racing at what they were going to do with me; what would happen to me. I was just a scrawny white boy from Edina! What was I going to do! Imagine the headlines! My father is going to be either so angry . . . or so proud . . .  
  
Kenny frowned, cocking an eyebrow and leaning on the desk parallel to mine. "I highly doubt that, Adam. I saw Charlie in the halls heading for his tech class before I walked in here. When I walked in here, you were talking to Julie." He replied calmly. "So unless you had an 'out-of-body' experience, which are completely bogus, you couldn't have killed our Captain." He was snickering by the end at the ludicrousness of it all. "Besides, you were asleep for more of the lecture. Mostly likely, cake-eater, you were having a bad dream."  
  
"It was so real though." I whispered, as I slowed my breathing and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. I looked up at Kenny's calm brown eyes. "I could've sworn I shot him. I mean he was right there in front of me with the rest of the Ducks!"  
  
Shrugging, Kenny crackled his neck. "Most bad dreams are. I've hear that dreams, when their as vivid as you explained it, mean something, but then again I'm skeptical of that." He walked away from my desk and began towards the door as I began shoveling my books into my bag. "Oh, and a word to the wise Banks, get more sleep at night. You're going to need more energy if Orion is going to make us run track and play hockey."  
  
I nodded, trying my best to smile even though I was still a little jilted from that dream. "Thanks Wu."  
  
He nodded back. "What are friends for?" He replied, shrugging nonchalantly. "Later Banks," He waved as he walked out of the classroom leaving me alone in the room.  
  
I breathed deep as I leaned against my desk. "Right. . ."  
  
~*~  
  
I sat down in one of the library's many enormous comfy chairs that were everywhere in this school, and wrapped my arms around my stomach. This morning when I said I was skipping lunch to come here I thought I was going to be kicking myself by the end of Spanish, but now, had someone even mentioned food, I think I'd yak, right here, right now.  
  
The library was completely silent around me leaving me with my thoughts. Ok, so I have a guilty mind, but why would I dream about shooting Charlie? I've never even held a gun in my life, despite the fact my father owns a couple, but their just for show. Antiques that haven't been fired since the late 1800's and now reside in glass cases in my father's study collecting dust. If an intruder actually came into our house, they would be more use hitting him over the head with than actually firing at him with. Supposedly my father says their extremely temperamental (hey much like him!) but I wouldn't know, not that I want to find out; their completely barbaric and old fashioned. After hundreds of thousands of years of beating each other over the head with clubs, you would think we would actually stop and think about actually talking out our problems. But hey I'm just a fifteen year old, why listen to me?  
  
Ok, hockey right? I'm not being a hypocrite either. Yes, hockey has violence with the checking and the fighting and all that hooey, but there are reasons for it. First of all, hockey is just a game and you may be surprised that I'm the one who said that, but it's true. If hockey were real life, we would be knee deep in shit, because by now, I would have more injuries than one bummed up wrist. And the fighting, well that isn't really hockey. That's just certain players (Like Dan McGill. . .) who don't know how to keep their emotional attachment out of the game. They have to make it personal, and that's just the type of person they are.  
  
And the talking out our problems. . .  
  
Oh screw you! I'm fifteen! I talk a whole lot of shit! Bugger off!  
  
I crossed my arms defiantly. It must be time to get back to class now, seeing I've been sitting here thinking about gun control and hockey for the past . . . I looked down at my watch and groaned inwardly. I tapped my finger on my watch and brought it up to my ear. It didn't stop . . . I felt like crying silently. I've only been sitting here for five minutes.  
  
I shifted in my chaired and looked around me. There are only two other people in the library other than me. The librarian, with her stiff knee cracking away as she putters about putting books away casting glances at me suspiciously, and some guy I know from my World Geography class in the morning. He's like the smartest guy in the entire school or something, but I haven't quite learned his name yet. Billy, or Bobby or something. The sad thing is that he looks like the stereotypical nerd, with slightly too short dress pants, a plaid dress shirt complete with pocket protector and extremely thick glasses. I think the only difference between him and a stereotypical nerd is the fact that his clothes and glasses are name brand. I think his father is some big shot at some computer company.  
  
I sigh and look down at my watch again. Ok, so our lunch hour is an hour and thirty-five minutes long, and it took me two minutes to get here, and I've sat here thinking for about six minutes thinking, if my calculations are correct, I have quite a while until my next class, which is math, with Josie, sitting behind me, not knowing that I did something really really really stupid over the Christmas holidays. I think I would have a better chance at living if I had just kissed another girl, because then I would have been able to play it off as a mistletoe blunder or something.  
  
But I read her diary that was on a disk that one of our arch-enemies gave to me. Like, it's not like I could say, I was carrying it upstairs and it fell open and I just 'happened' to glance at a page and it just 'happened' to be the page where you were talking about Peter and all that. I wouldn't even be able to come up with a good lie either because there was no excuse! I could just imagine her face as I said to her, "Oh yeah Josie, I was doing research for a school project and it called for me to read a sister's, friend's or girlfriend's diary." She's kill me, slowly. She'd probably ask Kenny to show her Chinese water torture, despite the fact that Kenny wasn't Chinese, but Korean.  
  
I blinked. I was in a huge library full of books. Kenny said that sometimes when dreams are really vivid, they mean something, so I guess I could find out what my dream meant. I mean our library must have some sort of book of dream analysis, and I certainly had plenty of time, so why not? I got up and wandered over to a computer and typed in dream analysis, getting a couple hits in our library. I copied down the code on a sheet a paper and went off in a search. I ran my index finger along the shelves and after a couple minutes finally came to the correct area. I looked at the titles at all the spines. 'Dreams and you', 'What do your dreams mean?', 'Dream Dictionary'.  
  
I shook my head thinking of the fact that I must be the only guy to probably ever look at these books. I grabbed the 'Dream Dictionary', because it seemed the most credential, even though it was a dream book, so how credential could it be. . . and walked back to my original chair, collapsing into it and looking down at the cover. It looked dusty, and old. It honestly looked like it hadn't been touched since before this school opened but I figured what the hell.  
  
I ran my fingers across the top coming across a tiny bit of fabric acting as a makeshift bookmark and opened it up. It opened to the D's. Well, I didn't need the D's; I needed the F's, for friend, or the M's for murder, or the S's for shoot . . . or the A's for Adam is going completely psycho so lets go get a straight jacket off E-bay and toss him in a white room with squishy walls, and inject him with medication so he's nice and calm and only thinks about the cute little ducks that quack and wattle around him!  
  
I was about to flip the page when something at the top of the page caught my eye. This book was like a real dictionary, so it had like a heading like this page, dismemberment (uh . . . yikes. . .) – duck. Hmm . . . well, technically Charlie is a Duck, and I remember in my dream wanting the leader of the 'flock', and people don't usually come in flocks, so I figure I'll read that, just for fun.  
  
Duck- in dreams, ducks can mean a wide range of things . . . yadda yadda yadda, ok not helping me . . . duck over clear water means lucky journey . . . nope . . . ducks flying means a good omen . . . shooting a duck! Ah ha! Exactly what I'm looking for! If you shoot ducks, it means you have enemies working against you.  
  
Enemies working against me? What enemies? I don't have enemies! Except, William Hayworth, but that's only because I'm going out with the girl he likes . . . ok I have one enemy. Ok, and I have Riley from Varsity, but that's only because I became a Duck again; ok, make that most of the Varsity team then because I helped the Ducks win the JV/ Varsity showdown, and Erica that cheerleader that was rooming with Josie for a while, and Daniel McGill . . .  
  
Shit! My enemies ARE working against me. Shit!  
  
"Hey Banksie."  
  
I jumped out of my skin, dropping the book out of my lap and tossing it on the floor and spinning around to see Charlie smiling his usual friendly grin. "Oh thank God!" I yelped giving him a quick hug, out of the blue. He wasn't dead! He was alive scaring the shit out of me!  
  
The librarian shushed us angrily from her spot behind her desk and turned back to her book, flipping the page and continued reading.  
  
Charlie frowned. "Uh . . . hi . . . Are you feeling ok?" He replied after my over zealous greeting.  
  
I nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh. Great, fine! Perfect! I feel wonderful!"  
  
He nodded and bent down to pick up the book I had dropped. He looked at the cover and his expression changed from surprised and slightly frightened to completely confused. "Dream interpretation? You?" He asked. "I was expecting a hockey magazine or a textbook or something, but this? You blew off the Ducks to interpret your dreams? No . . . You blew off your upset girlfriend to interpret your dreams." He stopped and shook his head. "Who are you, and what have you done with our star hockey player?"  
  
I bit my lip. Ok, after hearing what Charlie said I feel like I really big jerk. I mean I feel like I'm like the uber jerk right now. "It was on the chair and a page caught my eye."  
  
He blinked and shook the book upside down in hopes of finding something that was stuck inside the gigantic book. "Ok, there is no hockey magazine stuck in here, like what I would've done." He began to thumb through the book quickly, probably in hopes of finding a picture that represented hockey. "Ok . . . This can all be explained." He nodded placing the book on the coffee table in front of the chair. "You aren't really Adam. You're a body-snatching alien and you're using Adam's body to find out the finer points of hockey so you can teach it to the other aliens in your spaceship and take over the NHL. The only thing I request is that you either a) make the Wilds win the Stanley Cup when you take it over, or b) bring back the North Stars back to Minnesota and make them win."  
  
I snorted. Charlie and his over-active imagination. "Charlie, I did something really stupid."  
  
"Yes, you're obviously not Adam Banks because he never does anything stupid." He retorted shaking his head. It looked like his entire world was crumbling apart. It was he just found out everything turned opposite: right was wrong and Michael Jackson was black.  
  
"Charlie seriously."  
  
"If you tell me your quitting hockey I'll kill you myself."  
  
"No!" I yelped half laughing. "No! I love hockey! I'm not quitting!"  
  
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok then Banksie, as long as this stupid thing you did has nothing to do with you in result having to quit hockey, I'm all ears." He jumped into the chair next to the one that was beside mine.  
  
I sat down slowly and lowered my head. "I can't tell you, Conway."  
  
Charlie smirked. "Adam, I'm Captain Duck. I am the King of Stupid things! Believe me, anything you did, will never match the stupid things I've done."  
  
"Oh believe me; you've never done anything as stupid as what I did." I bit my lip.  
  
Charlie crossed his arms stubbornly. "I once shot myself in the foot with a bee-bee gun!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "You're right. You're the King. Long live the King." I replied unenthusiastically. Normally I would have laughed at him, but now, I know that my deed would go far far past any of his infractions.  
  
"Thank you my humble servant." He bowed smirking. "Ok, so what did you do that was so stupid that you thought you could threaten my ruling on the throne of Stupid?"  
  
I shrugged. "It's nothing."  
  
Charlie smiled. "Ok. Then how about you tell me what's up with you and Josie." He asked leaning over the arm of his chair. "I asked her if you guys got into a fight last night and she was under the impression that you guys were better than fine. I mean yesterday you guys were all fairy tale like. I swear you guys were like glowing! Then today, ok, let me put it this way, if Orion saw you run out of the cafeteria as fast as you did, he would have kicked you off the hockey team and made you focus solely on track."  
  
I sighed. "I did not run."  
  
"There were road-runner clouds behind you, dude."  
  
"Were not!"  
  
Charlie smirked. "Mendoza is now calling you Adam 'the Blur' Banks!"  
  
I frowned. "Is she ok?"  
  
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, of course. I mean it took a couple make-out sessions with Fulton, but yeah, she's fine." He grinned widely.  
  
"Charlie . . ." I threatened.  
  
"Josie is fine. She looked pretty close to crying at first, but we calmed her down. Then Averman came in and told her you've been acting funny basically since you've woken up. Something about his shoes. I think. He had half a bagel shoved down his throat so I'm not sure." Charlie shrugged. "He said you were acting like Speedy Gonzalez this morning with him too. He said you were there one minute and gone the next."  
  
I nodded silently, my eyes locked on my shoes.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay Banks?"  
  
I looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah . . . fine."  
  
Charlie bit his lip nervously. "You do know if something is wrong you can come to any of the Ducks right?"  
  
I forced a little smile onto my lips. "Yeah. I know."  
  
He nodded and got up. "Talk to Josie ok? She's worried about you."  
  
I nodded. "Thanks Charlie." I whispered quietly.  
  
He shrugged. "No problem." He turned to leave and quickly spun around. "Get something to eat ok?"  
  
I nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'll get right on that."  
  
I watched Charlie go as I sat there again alone in the library.  
  
I heard about this one guy who said that you can never step into the same river twice or something like that. Saying that the water is always changing. I think my father made me read a book with that in it or something. It means that when a moment is lost, it is lost forever.  
  
Well I just lost a chance of coming clean.  
  
And now I'm hoping like hell God will be kind and give me another one because I don't know how long I can live with this secret.  
  
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A/N: Ok, I wrote this in two halves. One yesterday and the other today. I woke up really early (6:45 am!) for some weird reason and began writing. I found out that my brain really works well early in the morning and WAY late at night. I think it's when I'm sleep deprived or something. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
  
Shout outs!  
  
Beaner- Oh well I don't care. Screw the stupid spell checker! Yes the Ducks are really mature eh? And it's so Averman to go into a joke shop or something and find something as weird as 'spray stench'. Yeah that wasn't good of Adam to be mean to either girl. Doesn't he know that girls can be vicious when they are threatened? Well I guess not seeing he only has a brother and his mother is living off in la-la land and Josie is basically his first girlfriend. Do you want to know why Guy wasn't taken when I asked you that you wanted him? You were the first one I asked! Ok, so I was the author and I had first dibs on Adam and I think I gave Luis and Portman to Tara as a peace offering because I 'stole' Adam, so yeah, you basically go first choice. Oh, and I just found out why my Spanish translation came out 'Hello class are we ready to begin?' That's because that's the way I typed it in! Yeah, so it turns out my translator is really really good. But I think next time I'll come to you because well just because my translator was super awesome, I still don't trust it. Did you think my dream came out ok? I wasn't too sure with it. I was like . . . hmm . . . But I like the rest of the chapter so I'm not going to scrap it. So yeah that's it. Talk later!  
  
Shelbers- I'm glad you liked last chapter. Last chapter was harder to write than this one, mainly because I wasn't sure how to start. Now that I've sort of gotten back into the swing of things, I think I'm good again. Oh, you want to say hi to the Ducks? Just a second, it's 9:20 am so I'm going to wake them up. *Author runs away from computer and upstairs where cawing is heard. Three thumps immerge from upstairs* *Author rushes back to the computer* Ok give them a sec. Their getting off the floor. I'm planning on keeping up the good work. Oh . . . here they are. *Fulton, Adam and Charlie trudge into room with bed head looking rather peeved* Fulton: "What!" Charlie: "I don't remember asking for a morning wake-up call." Adam: "And I'm pretty sure I didn't ask for you to crow in my ear." *author frowns* A reviewer wanted to say hi to you. Charlie . . . remember Shelbers? She housed you for about a month? Charlie: "Oh yeah. Hi! You didn't wake me at all hours of the morning!" *Charlie narrows eyes at author* Adam: "Exactly. I say we disconnect her internet." Fulton: "No, I say we make her watch really bad movies without us in it!" *author's jaw drops* You wouldn't dare because I could make you *points at Adam* break up with your girlfriend, you *points at Fulton* faint at the sight of blood in front of the team and you *points at Charlie* you wouldn't want the return of Linda would you? *Duck's jaw's drop* Charlie: "Y-you w-wouldn't." Now say hi to her and go back to sleep. The Ducks: *panicked* "Hi!" *All the Ducks hurry back upstairs* Ok that's it! Later!  
  
Angela- Hey hey! You really liked last chapter? That's good! I hope you like this one! No I didn't know there was only one story about Sandlot. Maybe you could start up a whole new fandom! I'm quite sure that there are plenty of people around here that like that movie. I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember really liking it. Uh . . . watching a movie about three times a day probably would make you obsessed, but I doubt the nice people in white coats will drag you away. You're too good of a reviewer for me to let that happen. OK? No Worries. Later!  
  
Rach- It was so Quack! I'm planning on having a couple more Duck pranks. I'm not exactly sure where I came up with the spray stench though. That one just came to me. For some reason I'm going to have Averman obsessed with messing up Adam's clothes. *blushes* I know I would be! Yeah, Adam is fighting that right now, but he has to have a guilty conscience for a while. Yeah I'd do the same thing if someone (my boyfriend especially) read my diary. Especially if it had something really personal like it did with Josie's. If it were about him and how he's cute . . . blah blah blah, I might not care, as much. But if it were something else, his butt would be on the curb so fast he wouldn't know what hit him! Oh, my parents know my 'greatness', they just would sometimes like to check their e-mail . . . and do their taxes . . . and maybe . . . if there's time . . . play a game. But no worries. My updating shall be regular. I've figured a way around this problem. Instead of when I come up with an idea and going straight to the computer, I have found the wonderful world of pens and paper. *Gasps* Yes, now I have a Duck notebook where I keep all of my spiffy ideas. All I have to do is print a couple pictures of Adam and the Ducks off the internet and my notebook will be perfect! Yay! I'm glad you are waiting eagerly for my chapters! Can't wait for your review! Later!!  
  
REVIEW!!  
  
~Toodles  
  
--KatieGurl! 


	4. Flushed

I ran into the dining hall. I wasn't sure if Josie would be there but I had to tell her. I couldn't live with this anymore. She'd understand. Like, I didn't even realize it was her diary until it was too late. I mean I had no idea. I'm a guy! To be a diary I would expect her to write 'Dear Diary' first right? It's like a red flag! For all I could've know it was a day planner.  
  
Dammit! Adam, stop lying! I knew it was her diary the second she basically started pouring out her soul!  
  
I skidded to a stop as soon as I saw her sitting with the Ducks, uncomfortably, I might add. I took a deep breath and began to walk over to our table. I was going to tell her. She could slap me and we would get over this. It was just another bump in the road.  
  
"Hey Banks! Look who decided to grace us with his presence." Averman grinned, nervously laughing. I could tell everyone was on edge around me. What were they afraid I was going to snap? Lose it? Jump up on the table and begin to hit my head uncontrollably? No, no and no.  
  
Josie decided to avoid my eyes. I bit my lip nervously. "Hey Josie, can I talk to you alone?" I figured if I were going to tell her, I'd tell her in private that way she wouldn't be so embarrassed. It was the least I could do.  
  
Josie nodded slowly and looked over at Charlie who smiled encouragingly at her. She pulled at her sleeves nervously and allowed me to take her hand and pull her out into the hall away from everyone.  
  
I took another breath. "Hi."  
  
She nodded. "Hey."  
  
I opened my mouth to tell her, but it seemed to get stuck in my throat. The guilty rumbling in my stomach warned me not to. This time I wasn't guilty of reading her diary, but of knowing that if I told her she would be ruined.  
  
I blinked. If I told her she may have another 'incident'. I was a person she trusted. If I told her that I did something to break her trust, her entire life that she built up would be ruined. How could I be so selfish and do that?  
  
"Adam?" She whispered quietly.  
  
I jumped at the sound of my name. "You love me right?"  
  
She frowned at my question. "Yes, of course I do; why?"  
  
"So you wouldn't break-up with me right?"  
  
"What!" She yelped looking around her nervously. "Adam what are you talking about?"  
  
"Promise me you won't break-up with me." I blurted out.  
  
Her breathing got heavy and her eyes welled up. "Adam, you can't do that. I can't promise you that." She bit her lip hard. "Adam you're scaring me. What's going on?"  
  
"I just want to make sure that we don't break up over something really trivial," I explained the best I could, "Because I love you too much to give up on you over something really stupid, like today and how I acted. And I'm so sorry for that. Please just promise me you won't; you wouldn't."  
  
A single tear toppled down her cheek as she nodded. "I promise. I promise." She swallowed wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in close.  
  
I wrapped both arms around her waist holding her as she stopped shivering. "Thank you." I whispered in her ear, kissing her shoulder.  
  
"You scared me Adam. Don't ever do that again." Her voice quivered in tears. "God you scared me."  
  
I pulled away from her and quickly wiped away the tears that were slowly staining her cheeks and got this crazy idea in my head and began to tug at the simple gold band around my pinkie.  
  
Josie frowned and sniffed. "Adam, what are you doing now?" She half laughed at me, shaking her head completely puzzled.  
  
In a quick motion making her jump, I pull the ring off with a grin. "My dad got me this after we won the Goodwill Games." I grabbed her hand and sat it in her palm. "You have it."  
  
"What! No!" She yelped trying to hand it back to me. "What am I supposed to do with it?"  
  
I laughed and took it out of her hand and shoved it on her index finger. "Wear it, you silly girl. It's promising you that we're going to make it. Win."  
  
Her bottom lip quivered as she calmed down from the suddenness of it all. "Ok." She said uneasily, and shook her head trying to rid herself of her doubts. I could just see it on her face. "What was wrong this morning anyways?" she asked, intertwining our fingers and beginning to lean us back to our table.  
  
I quickly kissed her hand. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't you." The pit of my stomach dropped. I couldn't stop brushing it off.  
  
She nodded and let go of my hand, walking ahead to grab her books from where she had been sitting before.  
  
Fulton stood up as he noticed that her eyes were bloodshot from her tears and walked over to me. Ever since William hit her that one time, he was fairly protective of her, much like he was with some of us on the ice. "What happened?" His voice didn't even have the slightest accusatory sound in it, just worried.  
  
"We kind of scared each other." I admitted, looking past him. I couldn't just lie to someone on our team. I scratched my ear and waited of Josie to come over to me.  
  
Fulton frowned. "Scared each other?" He glanced over at Josie and back at me. "I thought you were fearless."  
  
My stomach seemed to drop again. "You'd be surprised." I mumbled quietly.  
  
~*~  
  
I nervously walked into my grade eleven math class, hand in hand with Josie. Seeing it was February, I had long lost my first day jitters, and now since the rediscovery of this dreaded disk and now this promise and ring business, I felt lower than pond scum. I felt like what scum fed off of. I was like . . . plankton. Guilt had completely taken over my body. I jaggedly took my seat at the very front of the class by the window trying my best to ignore Josie, despite the fact that I promised her I would never do that ever again, no longer than ten minutes before, who sat behind me. You see Banks, Best. We're side by side on roll call. I looked up at the ceiling and silently cursed the original caveman who decided to stop hunting some dinosaur and sat down and came up with 'alphabetical' order.  
  
You hear that?  
  
Curses!  
  
The weird thing was that all class, she didn't even try to talk to me. I mean not even a tap on the shoulder to explain the stupid math problems we had been working on for the last couple days, even though both she and I knew neither I nor her need help with them, but that was beside the point! The point is that we are now, because of me . . . in a completely committed relationship and she didn't even ask if something was wrong, or why I was deathly silent, or even ask to compare answers as we always did.  
  
My knee decided to jump under my desk like a jackhammer on pavement as I got more and more edgy. I stared down at the problem that I had written down a while ago in a quick scrawl, but my brain had already decided without consulting me that it was not going to focus on my math homework. Normally when I got like this I would turn around and talk to Josie, but it turns out that I have no backbone. Yes, I'm a pushover. A guilty little jellyfish.  
  
I frowned and glared at my notebook. But my notebook decided to do something back to me. The numbers I had written down seemed to morph into letters which rearrange themselves into four words.  
  
YOU READ THE DIARY!  
  
I yelped and slammed my notebook closed, breathing deep. My math notebook, did not, and I repeat, did not accuse me of reading my girlfriend's diary. I looked over my shoulder at the other people in my class who were beginning to look at me funny. I turned around and faced forward. "Snobs." I muttered under my breath. Haven't they ever seen a person have a mental breakdown before?  
  
"Adam!" Josie hissed, making me jump and spin around to face her. She blinked slightly troubled at my reaction. "What's really up with you today? You're still acting . . ." She stopped searching for the correct word. ". . . funky?"  
  
I shrugged, wringing my hands in my lap. "I think I should switch to decaffeinated coffee."  
  
She scoffed and smirked, shaking her dark hair out of her eye. "You don't even drink coffee. You said that it would stunt your growth, I believe were your exact words, even though I'm quite sure you don't have anything to worry about." She leaned over her desk and forehead crinkled in interest, focusing solely on me. "What is it really?"  
  
I swallowed. God was kind. He gave me a second chance.  
  
"Adam, you can tell me." She encouraged me.  
  
God was being completely and blatantly obvious.  
  
"Adam?"  
  
I shook head. "Nerves I guess, you know, hockey season is coming to a close, and those mid-term exams, their creeping up too . . ." And I flushed it down the toilet . . .  
  
"And that project of yours." She added in.  
  
I jumped. "Project! What project?"  
  
Josie cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "That project that you were talking about at breakfast. The one that you had to blow most of lunch off for to start . . ." She blinked. "Am I talking to a wall? Do you remember any of this? Does this seem familiar?"  
  
"Oh!" I yelped. Hadn't she been sitting in front of me I would have slapped myself. "Did I say project? It's more of this research assignment in my World Geography class. It's really dumb, and I only have a couple days to work on it." I replied covering for myself.  
  
"What is it on?" She asked completely innocently.  
  
"Geography, I just told you that!" I smiled, stretching out.  
  
She shook her head quickly. "No, I mean the topic." She rested her chin on her hand. "What's the topic?"  
  
Shit!! Topic. . . Ok, I needed a topic. "Oh! I knew that!" I laughed. "It's on . . . Canada." I nodded quickly before she could question that. "It's about how we have affected Canada; the culture . . . the buildings . . . all that." I blinked. Hadn't I known better, I would've believed it myself.  
  
"Oh." She shrugged. "So do you have to go back to the library and work on it later or something?" She said turning back to her math, tapping her pencil on the paper.  
  
I shook my head nervously. "No, I finished researching it at lunch today. I just have to put together the paper and hand it in."  
  
She looked up and grinned. "You have hockey practice tonight right?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, at four and tomorrow I have track." I groaned. I didn't mind skating laps, but running laps, with hurdles weren't fun.  
  
"You don't think that Orion will mind if I sit in the stands and do my homework do you?" She blushed softly. "I swear my new room is haunted and I do not want to be in there without Julie."  
  
I smirked. "It isn't haunted. Besides, you're on the ground floor, you'll be fine. If your personal Casper comes to haunt you, you could just jump out the window and run over to my dorm."  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "It's haunted. Julie said that Connie was obsessed with that Ouiji board of hers freshmen year and she probably let out a ghost or something."  
  
I smirked. "Do you think the Ghostbusters travel over state lines or just stick to New York?"  
  
She slapped my arm lightly. "Don't make fun. I have to sleep in that room!"  
  
The bell rang, forcing us out of our math class. "Orion won't mind as long as you don't leak any of our plays, or strategies to the . . . the McAllister Prep Muck Dogs?" I shook my head. "God that must suck. Go Muck Dogs?" I laughed lazily throwing an arm over her shoulder.  
  
"Oh, yes. Saturday's game should be good. The arena will be filled with barking and quacking." She sighed.  
  
"You are coming right?"  
  
She looked up at me and smirked. "No, I have to go to my other loyal and trustworthy hockey playing boyfriend's game! Of course I'm coming!"  
  
The grin on my face fell and crashed on the floor. Loyal. Trustworthy. Hockey Player.  
  
One out of three isn't that bad right?  
  
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A/N: *sighs* I just had the best day EVER! *sighs some more* Ok, yes my science presentation was postponed, and I wrote the most of the next chapter in my Careers class, but the ironic . . . really really cute Peter guy . . . *sighs* I'm not going to bore you, I'm just sort of floating on cloud nine so . . . if I stop making sense at anytime, just go with it and laugh it off saying 'Oh that Katie . . .'Anyways . . . ok not liking this chapter so much, mainly because I wrote it before last chapter and I was going to go a completely different way, and parts of it didn't fit so I had to fix it slightly, and now I don't like it as much. *sighs* Ok I have my parental breathing down my neck again so I have to hurry up.  
  
Shout outs  
  
Beaner- Hey you! I'm so glad you loved last chapter and I was kind of scared when I finished Adam's dream. I was like holy shit! Where did that come from! I didn't even have a scary movie marathon! *giggles* remember that one review I gave for 'Isn't Murder Fun?' Yeah Adam chickened out with telling Charlie and now with telling Josie! Ok, I had to poke fun at Michael Jackson sometime! That is one of my favorite lines when I'm being sarcastic when I'm at school. I've used it so many times and yet I still get laughs! Yuppers, you were one of the first to actually get your Ducky. You should feel honored. I mean how many people actually get to borrow one of the original Ducks? Anywho, talk later!  
  
Shelbers- Hey it works for me! None of the Ducks want Linda back so . . . she's the devil and the prefect for blackmail! Ooh! That's cool! I wasn't really thinking of the Canucks when I wrote that but now I am! Ooh! Go me! Writing about current events without even knowing it! Hockey is just a game and some players take it way too seriously! Some FANS take it way to seriously. Yes Adam did get another chance, and well, you saw how that turned out. Hey! I enjoy long winded reviews! So talk away! I'm long winded too! Oh the Ducks don't really blame you; they blame me for waking up so early and writing! What is this world coming to!  
  
Rach- Hey! Oh!! Were you scared of my dream? I'm so glad you were confused! I didn't want you to know what was happening and then all of a sudden BAM! It's all clear. Yeah, poor Adam, I don't know if he would be able to survive in prison. Oh! I love scaring the shit out of Adam! And I love writing Charlie! Averman may be the awesome at rants, but Charlie, he has his odd, crazy babble. Yeah, I think I may bring back the 'Blur' again just for the hell of it. It seemed to fit so well! Yeah, we Canadians are pretty weird. But guess what's weirder? Sometimes people bind papers together and guess what they call them? Books! *nods* it's this weird thing . . . I will show you some time ok? lol! It's official? Do you have some officiating stamp thing? Or is it like a list? I'm so happy that I brightened your day! Anytime ok?  
  
That's it!!  
  
REVIEW!!  
  
~Toodles  
  
KatieGurl 


	5. Bean Spiller

"Stretching, before playing, can severely reduce the amount of injuries you receive while playing. This goes for any sport and any body type. So . . . I want eyes front and everyone paying attention."  
  
I groaned inwardly at Coach Wilson's little speech. I had heard it a couple times while I was on Varsity last year, and it never changed. All you had to do was count to three and he would point someone out and tell them to be quiet, he didn't want to send someone to the nurse's office today, and with the way they were acting, it seemed it was going to be them.  
  
One. . .  
  
Two. . .  
  
Three. . .  
  
"Dean Portman! Fulton Reed!" Ooh. Two people. He decided to change this time. "I wish you would be quiet. I don't want to send someone to the nurse's station today and with the way you two are acting, it seems like it is going to be you two. Now pay attention!"  
  
I snickered quietly, half at the fact that Portman, who smirked nonchalantly, was probably going to be doing his famous impression of Coach Wilson in the locker room today after practice. The other was the fact that Coach Wilson who was fairly short, compared to Fulton and Portman was trying to order around our two biggest enforcers and defensemen on the JV hockey team. I couldn't wait to see him really angry. His face would go all pucker-y and red, right through to his hairline. It was funnier than Orion. And it was funnier when he wasn't in your face when he was yelling, much like he was while I was on Varsity.  
  
Plenty of times I had been held back after practice to be yelled at. I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't big enough. I wasn't handling the puck like a Varsity player.  
  
The thing was that I didn't choose to be on Varsity. After that first practice I went to Orion and begged him to let me back on JV. Unfortunately, my father was soon informed by Coach Wilson and he stepped in making damned sure that I was on Varsity. Thankfully my father finally saw how crappy I was performing compared to the other players and allowed me to drop back down to JV. I guess he preferred me being the top player of the Ducks than the worst player with people he deemed acceptable. Those weeks on Varsity, I was like a scuff on his shoe and he spoke to me as if I were lower.  
  
The sad thing is that now I am lower.  
  
I looked over at Charlie who was standing beside be, amazingly silent (for once in his life) and paying complete and utter attention to Coach Wilson (another first!), stretching his right arm over his chest. "Charlie!" I hissed at him making him jump and stare at me in surprise. "Remember how you said I could come to the Ducks anytime I needed to?"  
  
He stood completely emotionless nodding carefully. "Yeah of course. I just told you; but I wasn't expecting you to come to me or anyone else so soon." He stopped and licked his lips.  
  
"Oh."  
  
He shook his head. "Not that I don't want you to come to me!" He explained quickly and quietly eying Wilson and turning his attention back to me. "What is it?"  
  
I chewed on my lip, the metallic taste of blood tickling my tongue. "Remember how I told you I did something really stupid. I mean more idiotic than anything you have ever done and ever will do?"  
  
"Yes, and I told you that I shot myself in the foot and we decided I was the King." He scoffed, acting rather proud of his 'accomplishment.'  
  
"Switch!" Wilson called interrupting us of a split second.  
  
We both switched to our left arm and didn't even glance at our gym teacher. "I think I just stole your title." I muttered softly looking past Charlie at the Bashes making sure they were paying no attention to me. They weren't.  
  
Charlie shook his head defiantly. It was obvious he thought it was a game. "Enlighten me, young grasshopper." He mocked. Yes, he's been watching too many Kung Fu movies with Russ again.  
  
I frowned, trying to look as serious as possible. "Fine, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Not Guy, not Fulton and especially not Josie. Promise me Charlie."  
  
He blinked, the humor on his face diminished from his features subtly. Whatever you want, Banksias."  
  
"No, don't tell me that." I replied harshly. He looked taken aback as I continued. "I want your word Charlie. You can't tell anyone."  
  
He nodded violently. "Adam, I swear on Hans' grave that I won't tell your secret to anybody, Duck, Coach or another person on this planet; and if I do God may strike me dead. Now spill!"  
  
"Excuse me ladies . . ." Coach Wilson walked straight in between us and looked us both over. His eyes landed on me quickly and he pursed his lips. "You can either stop gossiping and stretch or have fun in detention when you should be at hockey practice. Which will it be?"  
  
Charlie smirked. "Which one doesn't involve Coach Orion wanting our blood?"  
  
Coach Wilson didn't even crack a smile, although he rarely does. The few times I have seen him smile was when he saw one of his players take out someone from another team or . . . that's about it . . .  
  
"Sorry Coach Wilson. We'll stop." I glanced at Charlie who rolled his eyes and nodded.  
  
Wilson eyed us both and continued weaving through our class like a gardener snake in the grass.  
  
Charlie walked him leave and turned back to me once he was out of earshot. "Ok Banks, tell."  
  
I swallowed the lump in my throat that seemed to be growing. "Okay, last semester Will cornered me and gave me this disk and over the Christmas holidays I read what was on it and it was her diary and this morning Averman found it in his shoe and I put it in my pocket, ignored Josie until lunch was almost over, made her swear to me that she wouldn't break-up with me no matter what, gave her my ring and now I feel really guilt about it and I don't what to do!" I let out a sigh of relief once I had gotten in all out. Well that felt better.  
  
Charlie looked completely befuddled. He opened his mouth a few times only to close it again, his eyes unmoving and unblinking. He shook his head. "Ok, let's start from the top and let's see if I can understand this in clear sentences with words not over two syllables."  
  
I nodded, staying silent, knowing that if I added anything more he would be even more lost than what he already was.  
  
"Ok, there was a disk that someone named Will gave you. Who's Will?" Charlie replied calmly.  
  
"Will is the guy who likes Josie and slammed me into a wall last semester." I explained watching my words carefully.  
  
He nodded. He understood that at least. "And the disk had someone's diary on it?"  
  
I nodded. "Josie's."  
  
He licked his lips biting on the lower one. "And you read it." He added. "Okay, but you didn't know it was her diary until it was too late right?"  
  
I coughed a little and looked down at my sneakers.  
  
"Ok, that rules out that excuse. . ." Charlie mumbled, huffing a little.  
  
I groaned and faced him. "God Charlie I'm an idiot. Like I had no right to read her diary. Like now I know personal things about her, and I can't just forget them! That's like asking me to forget how to skate now!"  
  
Charlie smiled mischievously. "Are we talking sexy personal things?"  
  
"No!" I yelped at him. "I'm talking Peter, personal things. Besides I wouldn't tell you even if there were! I may have read her diary, but I wouldn't tell everything that I read!"  
  
He nodded. "Of course. I mean, the least you can do is keep everything between you two after you betrayed her trust."  
  
I whimpered quietly. "Thanks Charlie; that makes me feel so much better."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Well I'm just being straightforward about it. You keep dancing around it. It helps when you admit these things."  
  
I frowned at him. "Can we get back to sorting this whole thing out?" I replied through gritted teeth.  
  
He nodded. "Ok, so Averman found the disk today and you took it from him. So I'm guessing he doesn't know what's on it?"  
  
I nodded. "No clue."  
  
"Good. That's good." Charlie smiled reassuringly. "And you took my advice and talked to her at lunch right?"  
  
I nodded. "But I made her promise not to break up with me instead of telling her what I did and then I gave her a ring."  
  
His forehead crinkled in confusion. "You bought her a ring?"  
  
I shook my head and wiggled my pinkie at him. "The ring my dad gave me after the Goodwill Games."  
  
"Fuck . . ."  
  
"Exactly." I muttered under my breath. "And be careful. Don't accidentally spill this to Guy or something." I begged.  
  
He nodded. "I wouldn't. You're one of my best friends, and Guy is too, but I'll keep this from him, but what's so wrong with telling Guy, out of curiosity?"  
  
I sighed, "Connie could drag anything out of Guy and Julie can drag anything out of Connie and Julie is Josie's roommate. I'm not saying that I don't trust Julie, but she might let it slip or feel guilty about knowing something about Josie and my relationship and just tell her to get it off her back. God Charlie, there are so many different scenarios."  
  
Charlie nodded carefully.  
  
I closed my eyes. "Josie is going to kill me. You can tell me. She is going to murder me."  
  
Charlie shrugs. "She loves you. She might hate you, but I doubt she would kill you."  
  
I nodded. "You're right." I looked over at the Bash Brothers who were loudly talking about something. "She would enlist Portman and Fulton to do her dirty work. I'll either be wearing cement shoes in the bottom of the pond or ground up into sand and shoved into a coke bottle for her to have on her dresser."  
  
"The Bashes wouldn't do that. They are loyal to the Ducks first and foremost. They may not like what you did, and they may hassle you for it, but I don't think they would hurt you. They want to win state just as much as the next guy." He explained trying to soften my nerves. "I mean look at me. I'm not happy that you did this, but you don't see me jumping on you and giving you the beating of your life."  
  
My shoulders drooped. "I just lost all of my friends didn't I?"  
  
He shook his head. "Ducks Fly Together. You've just flown into some dangerous territory that you have to get out of yourself, but when you do the Ducks will be there. Some may be a little peeved, the girls to be more specific, but they'll come around."  
  
I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek. "So what do I do?"  
  
Charlie sighed. "You either a) keep doing what you're doing and hide it from her until you #1. Get married or #2. break up over a completely different reason . . ."  
  
I smiled. "I like that one. Josie doesn't get really angry in that one."  
  
He frowned. "I wasn't finished. Meanwhile your guilt eats away at your sanity and/or your conscience."  
  
My shoulders drooped again. "Ok, choice a) got really sour really fast." I grumbled to my shoes.  
  
Charlie nodded. "Or you could tell her and she gets angry. . ."  
  
"See I don't like that one. Josie gets angry and that isn't good."  
  
"I'm not finished Banks. Let me finish!" Charlie scolded me. "But as you do that, you possibly save your relationship by being HONEST with her and saving your sanity."  
  
"Yeah, did you ever think that I may loose my manhood in the process?!?!" I growled at him.  
  
"You took her privacy, she takes your manhood. I'd say it's an even trade." He shrugged.  
  
My jaw dropped. "You couldn't be Charlie. Charlie Conway wouldn't say that to me. You must be a body switching alien who is TRYING to ruin my life and chances of being a father one day in the far far future!"  
  
Charlie smirked. "Funny. See, after our little chat your humor has already returned to you."  
  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "And it seems yours hasn't left you."  
  
Charlie shrugged. "But that's what makes me, me. If I didn't have my humor, I'd be brooding making me. . ." He stopped and brought his finger to his chin in mock thought. "You."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Funny."  
  
He grinned. "I thought so."  
  
"Ok Ladies!" I heard Coach Wilson yell over us. "Would you like to play floor hockey or stand there chit-chatting?"  
  
Charlie nodded and began walking over to bin with the sticks in it and pulled out a pair handing one to me. "Hey, maybe he'll have a heart attack. Peter's description of the District 5 Coach's before Bombay doesn't do it justice. He began to twitch after he hit the ground."  
  
I smirked. Yes Charlie always knew how to lighten the mood.  
  
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A/N: Yeah!! I finished!! Ok, so I had written most of this in French and Careers class a couple days ago (in between saving my notebook from the greedy hands of the idiot who sits beside me. I mean we're in grade 10! How elementary is stealing someone's notebook?) and then I added stuff. It was greatness! It was better than actually DOING work so, Yay me!! Ok I won't bore you anymore and just start up with my shout outs ok?  
  
Shout outs!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- You were a couple hours late! Had you gotten this review in a few hours earlier I would have been able to add you into the last chapter's shout outs! Chapter 3 out of all 5 is my favorite! I love it to death! I was like holy hell!! I love it! Oh, Adam can't share your squishy room; he's sharing one with me. Sorry! Did you steal Adam's little Ducks? *narrows eyes* He's been looking for them. I'm so sorry your day sucked. I hope last chapter and this chapter make up for it! *sends you a virtual hug* I hope tomorrow is better for you! I would start singing 'The Sun will come out' for you, but my parents will start looking at me funny and that's never cool. Okay anyways. Later!!  
  
DuckHockey00214496- Hey I remember you! *jumps and points at you* You reviewed the first couple chapters and stopped!! I missed you!! Did you finish Don't Speak? Sorry if I'm being nosy, I'm just wondering. I'm so glad you like both of my Duck stories!! I agree Adam should tell her, but I won't tell you if he does because that just ruins it! Is this update soon enough? So come back soon ok? Coolies? Later!!  
  
Shelbers- Yes I agree, Linda=devil on earth and Charlie + his crush on the devil on earth = Charlie needing his head examined. Did he get checked too hard that day? Yes, we are Canadians after all. It just sucks that our national sport isn't hockey. Stupid Lacrosse. Ok I shouldn't say that because my friends really like it, but I like hockey better. Yeah that question you asked is supposed to be the one that makes you stick around. I'm not giving away my entire story thanks. Well I'm glad you liked this chapter despite my disliking for it. Later!  
  
Beaner- Ahhh... Good ol' Beaner. Yeah Adam wussed out twice, in one chapter. I thought you were going to be understanding? Yeah the promise was super low. But he was panicked and scared. Oh I doubt I'll actually build up on the haunted room thing. I think I may reference it once, but other than that . . . no. . . . it's not my best material. Was this update fast enough? When I talked to you I had... the first paragraph written. Go me!! *laughs* Say hi to Guy!! *sends him a hug* Later!  
  
Review  
  
~Toodles  
  
KatieGurl 


	6. Male 'Bonding'

I walked out of the change room after the final bell with a heavy heart. Despite the fact that Charlie was completely and totally right (Which scared me half to death; I was the one who was supposed to be right, and he was supposed to screw things up!) I didn't really want to do the right thing, which was telling Josie.  
  
The Bashes, Charlie and I were all walking towards our dormitory when we saw Josie approaching us with Charlotte, who still wasn't on good speaking terms after Charlie only got a B on his math exam, barely making him able to play hockey. But I wasn't really worrying about our Captain, he was very charismatic; he could make it work regardless of the fact that his last couple relationships, like Linda, and that one girl who lived around the block from him and that other girl he was chatting up while we were in California, didn't exactly last long. Linda was about a month, and the other two were a week, if not less.  
  
No I was worrying about how Josie was going to take it.  
  
"Ladies." Fulton flirted, granted the fact that he had a completely platonic relationship with both girls.  
  
Josie cocked an eyebrow. "Fulton . . ." She replied suspiciously and turned her eyes on me and smiled.  
  
Charlie swallowed. "Come on, I think we ought to leave these two alone." He smiled at Charlotte. "You're coming right?"  
  
She sighed and nodded. "If I must." She touched Josie's arm quickly. "I'll come to your room tonight to start on that project ok?"  
  
Josie nodded and waved as they turned and walked in the opposite direction. I thanked God that she didn't see Charlie give me a thumbs up before walking away.  
  
"So what's with the thumbs up?" Josie asked gripping my hand and beginning to walk to the dormitory.  
  
Spoke too soon. "Oh, Charlie was just . . . being weird Charlie." I smiled.  
  
She looked over her shoulder at them. "Oh. I've never really thought of him being weird; a little headstrong and opinionated, but not weird. Averman is weird." She pointed out smiling, bumping her shoulder against mine.  
  
"Agreed." I smiled. Ok, this is going to be our last happy conversation. I'm glad it was good. "Josie we need to talk."  
  
She groaned. "Ad-am! I know you're always tired and serious after Phys. Ed but I just sat through an hour and fifteen minute lecture on the signing of our constitution. I'm all up for freedom and all that junk but I'm so filled with energy its crazy." She whined with pleading eyes. "No more talking. Let's do something fun."  
  
"We can't we have to talk. You and me, one on one."  
  
She pouted. "But nothing good ever happens after someone says 'we have to talk,' therefore, I say we ignore the whole thing and go do something fun until you have to do to practice which is in exactly. . ." She looked down at her watch. "And hour and a half." If only she knew. . .  
  
"Josie, I'm being serious here! I think we need to ta-"  
  
She quickly pressed her lips against mine forcefully, silencing the worries that were screaming in my head. She pulled away from me staring me in the eyes. "That is what I have to say about what you think."  
  
My jaw dropped. "Ah . . . blah . . ."  
  
She curled her hair behind her ear and shifted her weight onto one of her feet, smiling innocently. "Any questions?"  
  
I grinned back at her. "Yeah; your room or mine?"  
  
She laughed throwing her arms over my shoulders and kissing my cheek. "Julie has a study group in our room so . . ."  
  
I squeezed her waist and sat her back onto the ground. "So it's synonymous. My room it is."  
  
~*~  
  
I looked down at my shirt and frowned. Ok, after about an hour of making out with my girlfriend (I swear it was making out! If we did . . . other stuff . . . her father would kill me!), my shirt was completely wrinkled. I knew I should've changed before I came and now it is completely obvious what I've been up to for the last little while. I pulled at my shirt straightening out most of the creases and ran my fingers through my hair quickly. It would have to do.  
  
I pushed open the door of the change room and rolled my eyes at the howls from some of my teammates.  
  
"Looks like Banksie has been busy!!" Russ yelled in between howls.  
  
Averman shuttered. "Just tell me it was on your bed . . ."  
  
I punched his arm. "Shut up!"  
  
I reached my normal spot beside Charlie who shook his head, sneering and looked away from me. "Looks like Josie took it well." He mumbled as he tied his skates after everyone went back to getting ready.  
  
I licked my lips. "I couldn't tell her alright?" I sighed as I slipped on my hockey pants and sat back down onto the bench.  
  
"Obviously." He snapped quietly. "By the way the shade of lipstick on your jaw isn't your color."  
  
I wiped my jaw quickly and exhaled. "Charlie look, you wouldn't understand. You don't know what it's like ok?"  
  
He shot a look at me. "And neither does she." He shot angrily grabbing his stick and stormed out of the change room slamming the door behind him.  
  
Everyone's eyes followed him out of the room and exchanged confused glances, however just as quickly went back to tying their skates, only silent. The last time Charlie had stormed out of a room like that was when we had that major upset against one of the top teams earlier this year, but since freshmen year Charlie had basically given up his stormy attitude when it came to hockey or his social life.  
  
~*~  
  
"Conway! Pass the puck!" Orion yelled. "Other people are out there too! Pass it!"  
  
Charlie tried to fake around Kenny, but Wu was too quick for him and slipped in and passed it off to Mendoza who immediately flew down the ice.  
  
"Stop! Freeze!" Orion yelped, blowing his whistle angrily. "Conway, I told you to pass it. Banks was open."  
  
Charlie glanced at me, taking his helmet off, letting his damp curls fall freely on his forehead. "I didn't see anyone."  
  
Orion blinked and looked around at the rest of the team. "Ok, I don't know if I were thinking it or yelling it, did I not say to Conway, pass the puck?"  
  
I looked away from them and looked up at the stands where Josie had taken a quick break from homework and was watching us with worry written all over her face.  
  
A quiet murmur echoed off the walls and the Ducks that surrounded me nodded carefully. They didn't want to go again their Captain and best friend or their Coach.  
  
"Ok, then I'm not hallucinating." He nodded. "Why didn't you pass it?! Banks was wide open!" He directed at Charlie slightly peeved.  
  
Charlie shot an angry look at me. "He looked preoccupied."  
  
"With what!" Orion was not only confused, because Charlie and I usually worked awesome together, but getting rather frustrated.  
  
"Ask him." Charlie shrugged.  
  
Orion frowned. "Well, I'm not. I'm asking you 'Captain'." He looked up at the clock above the scoreboard and shook his head. "Well that's practice." He mumbled. "The game is on Saturday, so I want you guys in the gym tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 and then we're coming here after our run, so bring water, and eat a big lunch. Now . . . get changed."  
  
I skated beside Charlie and tried to talk to him. "Charlie, we can't let this go onto the ice. It isn't fair to the team."  
  
He sneered angrily. "You talk a whole lot about fair Banks. Maybe you should be fair to her." He looked up at Josie and elbowed me hard in the stomach. "Cake-eater." He spat.  
  
"That's none of your business." I hissed to him as I caught up to him, walking toward the change room and bursting through the doors.  
  
He collapsed. "Well you seemed pretty interested in my opinion during gym." He whispered back leaning down and untying his skates.  
  
I frowned. "And even now I think that was a mistake." I muttered as I mimicked Charlie and pulled off my skates.  
  
"That's only because you know I'm right and you're wrong."  
  
"I don't even know why I'm taking you're advice." I scoffed. "I mean, I've taken pisses longer than your last couple relationships."  
  
"Jackass."  
  
"Asshole."  
  
I pulled off my jersey and shoulder pads in a quick movement and got up at the same time as Charlie; bumping shoulders with him, making him fall back onto the bench.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" He burst at me, pushing my shoulders, tossing me into Portman who helped me back onto my feet.  
  
I frowned at him. "Nothing! Maybe you should stay out of my way!"  
  
"Maybe you should watch where you're going, preppy!"  
  
After that, I can't remember who threw the first punch, but the next thing either of us knew, we were on the locker room floor, fighting like we used to when we were ten.  
  
"Hey!! Hey!! Break it up!" I heard Orion yell, grabbing the back of my shirt and Fulton quickly grabbed Charlie's. He looked at us both quickly doing a double take. "Conway, Banks? You were fighting!" He raised his eyebrows. "Did you know you were fighting each other?"  
  
I brought by finger to my lip and hissed. Cut. I looked at the damage I had done to Charlie. I hit him right under his left eye so the next day he might have a shiner. We both looked away from each other.  
  
Orion looked at both of us. "Well one of you has to talk."  
  
Silence.  
  
"This is what I get for working with teenagers." He grumbled. He looked at the rest of the team. "Does anyone of you know what they were fighting about?"  
  
Everyone shook their head. Of course not. Charlie and I were very vague about what we were fighting about. I was just hoping that he wouldn't go back on his word after I hit him.  
  
Coach looked over at me. "Do we need to sit in my office and work this out?"  
  
We both shook our head. "No, we'll work it out, right Banks?" Charlie replied with bitterness in his voice.  
  
"I mean without beating each other to a pulp." Orion added.  
  
I nodded. "We'll work it out."  
  
Orion let go of my shirt and watched carefully as Fulton let go of Charlie. "Ok. Do it quick. I don't need my players at each other's throats if we're going against the Mud Dogs on Saturday." He took one last look at us before walking out of the change room.  
  
I slipped out of my hockey pants and shoved on my shoes and grabbed my coat off the hook. I'd shower at my dorm. I rushed out of there with my hockey gear in my hand.  
  
I looked up at the stands where Josie ran down to meet me. "Hey Adam!" She replied happily, the look on her face dropping off. "Oh my God! What happened to your face?"  
  
I winced as she touched my lip. "Charlie and I had a few words and I hit his hand with my face. And he got angry and he fit his face to my fist."  
  
Josie's eyes widened. "You fought with Charlie? You're best friend?"  
  
I shrugged. "Consider it male bonding."  
  
"I don't understand." She bit her lip looking over her shoulder towards the change rooms in hopes of seeing our slightly bruised Captain.  
  
"Good, you're a girl. You shouldn't." I smiled.  
  
She groaned. "Adam, you just fought with your friend, you shouldn't be cracking jokes, especially un-funny ones."  
  
"Actually I think it's the perfect time to crack jokes." I shrugged, pasting on a smile. "And I thought they were funny."  
  
She licked her lips. "Are we going to talk about this?"  
  
I quickly kissed her. "I want to do something else."  
  
She crossed her arms. "Unfair."  
  
"All is fair in love and war. You taught me that." I smirked.  
  
She nodded. "Later then."  
  
I nodded. "Maybe."  
  
~  
  
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A/N: Whoa!! Yeah another chapter! Go me! I'm excited! Ok, I had the ending of this chapter planned different but I kind of wanted Orion to break up the fight so I had to have it in the arena so, that's how it worked out! Yes, this is one of my classic fights/ arguments. If you've read Don't Speak you know exactly what I'm talking about. I love writing them. I can't stop it!! So . . . I should do shout outs now eh?  
  
Shout outs!  
  
Pyro44- *squeals and jumps up and down excitedly* New Reviewer! Welcome!! Welcome!! Ok, so you're not exact 'new' per say, but sort of. Whatever!! I think I remember a Jennifer, but I'm not sure. I'd have to check. Oh! I love writing Charlie so it's awesome that you enjoy him. Don't get me wrong, I love writing Adam (no duh . . . the story is in his perspective Katie!!), but Charlie has so many comedy possibilities and can play so many different roles! He is so versatile! I didn't have any Coach Wilson in last story, which is sad because he's an awesome character to write because he was so underdeveloped in the movie and I love to develop characters! I made Coach Wilson like that because my friend plays volleyball for a rep team and her coach is like that and I had to just borrow that little aspect! I love character quirks. Thanks so much for reviewing, come back anytime and tip your waitress!!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Well, guess what? I love writing this story so you don't have to worry about it being over soon! It's just good? *gasps* Just Kidding! Oh, don't worry; I constantly can't think of the right word. I've sat through almost an entire English class trying to figure out a word. I think the word was eclectic. I love words. I love writing. *rolls eyes* my friends call me the walking dictionary/thesaurus. Yeah just a few hours too late; but you're right, at least the review went through. I'm sorry about you're lonely squishy room! Who's Benny? Ooo . . . Does SqUiDsLiLpYrO have a LOVA??? *giggles* I'm teasing! Yeah go find him! Talk Later!  
  
Rach- Hey! Where've you been? I'm glad you liked both chapter 4 and 5. Yeah, I agree last chapter wasn't my best, but it was leading up to this chapter. It was necessary. Sorry! Oh and I still love you even if you gave me a review that didn't say you dropped to your knees and worshiped the ground I walked on.(hint! hint!) I need reviews like that! Where else am I going to get some pressure to work harder and make my next chapter better? Last chapter also was mainly humor, and not really plot based. I'm glad I'm in that 10% of better stuff you read! That's cool! I'm reaching your update demand! Now just don't hurt me!! *runs and cowers!*  
  
Beaner- Katie!! You're on the internet without you're parent's consent? *gasps* Jk! You better come on AOL soon. I'm bored and I want to talk to someone. I'm so glad you loved Charlie! I loved writing him! He's awesome! He's like my favorite next to Adam and Averman (Avie is going to get some awesome lines too!). I have no clue how I got that manhood line though! It was scary! After I got it I started cracking up and my brother was looking at me funny. I looked over at him and was like 'Adam is going to loose his manhood!!' and my brother was like. . . 'Katie, you should lay off the drugs for a while.' My brother is the spawn on Satan, I swear. I'm glad I'm cheering you up! I found out that my 'True Color' today was blue and I'm a compassionate person. I supposedly don't like confrontation and arguments. *giggles* Have they ever READ my stories before? But it's turns out I like 'pleasing' people and helping them so. . . I HAVE to keep writing!!  
  
DuckHockey00214496- Hey!! Don't Speak was too good to not finish? You're too kind! *laughs* my updates are world famous! I love updating and writing and I'm fairly quick too, so it's all good for you guys. Everyone is hoping Adam won't loose his manhood! (Read Beaner's note to hear the whole story!). Ok, seeing you read last chapter, if Josie and Adam had children now, Adam wouldn't only have to worry about his manhood, but his life, because his father and Josie's father would murder him, slowly. But I guess it's something to ponder about. You ponder, I write deal?  
  
Joc- Yeah, Katie told me about those State wide test thingers. She told me and I was like wha . . .?? Oh, I was totally like that, write the test and go to sleep after my exams and after the Ontario, grade 10 testing last semester and the EQAO tests in math in grade 9. God my country really like to test their high school students! Don't they know that some come home and write stories? Don't they know these things? Oh yeah, I agree Adam should tell Josie! Hello! I am a girl here! However, I'm looking at this from a guy's perspective and it's either be honest or have manhood. It's a heavy decision. Yes I write stories in French class. My French teacher lectures in French too, but think about it. What is she supposed to lecture in? Portuguese? Latin? Do you want her to sit in front of the class and Moo? *blinks* actually, yes that would be fun. I want my French teacher to sit in front of our class and Moo. It would be great fun. Ok, you keep reviewing (I missed you *pouts*) and I'll keep writing! Actually I would write whether or not you review whatever. Come back!! Run away from the light!!  
  
Shelbers- Hey you! Sup?? Naw . . . Charlie isn't scared. I think after Bombay and Orion, he's basically prepared for anything. *shrugs* I like continuing jokes! I like to do that sort of thing so that was intentional. Yes the tables turned, but now I've put a new spin on them. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you like this one! Review! Quick! Before the moment is over! Don't let the moment be over!! Nooo—  
  
*giggles*  
  
Ok yes, I'm very hyper at the moment so if these don't make any sense, don't worry. Ok, Lots of Love all!!  
  
REVIEW!  
  
~Toodles  
  
KatieGurl! 


	7. 3 conversations about the same thing

"You should go back to your room; you'll never get your homework done here." I replied getting off the floor and looking down at the mess of papers we had scattered across the floor. So much for Friday Night study jam . . .  
  
Josie whined. "But, you have a half hour until practice!" She pouted, giving her puppy eyes the best chance they got. As much as I loved her, and as much as those eyes were adorable, I knew I had to talk to Charlie.  
  
I sighed. "Yes, I know. But I should sort things out with Captain Duck before practice."  
  
"Ooh. . ." She replied, gathering up what she thought were her notes. "Well in that case I should go." She looked up at me and blinked. "Unless you want me to stay here . . ."  
  
"You just don't want to go to your haunted room!" I replied mocking her. "Go! Get out of here. I need you rested and well for tomorrow's game."  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "I need to be rested? You do too! I heard the Mud Dogs are brutal." She smirked, grabbing her backpack and trudging toward the door, which Averman opened as he walked into our shared dorm. "Rest up boys! Bye Adam! Les." She waved at me and acknowledged Averman's presence with a nod.  
  
I smiled and waved back and looked over at Averman who was gagging by the time he reached his bed, where he collapsed.  
  
"Gag me!" He pretended to choke out as he flipped onto his back. "You two are like two prefect people, who will end up married in the perfect ceremony and have the perfect 2.25 children and a dog, living in a house with a perfect white picket fence and shutters."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "I am not perfect and Josie isn't either." I scoffed as I walked into the washroom and frowned at my appearance. I looked like I just rolled out of bed.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Put her in a cheerleading uniform and you would be the stereotypical jock couple who end up with jock kids who play football in the fall, hockey in the winter and America's sport, baseball in the summer." He clapped his hands against his cheeks. "Ain't that swell?!"  
  
"Averman, you need a girlfriend." I replied as I pulled my shirt down and frowned. The wrinkles were practically etched into the fabric. I pulled it again. "And Josie would rather live with Erica than wear a cheerleading uniform and you know that."  
  
Averman I heard him grumble as he walked toward the washroom and leaned against the doorframe. "I thought we went over this. I am a nerd. You are a jock. It is almost exactly one hundred times easier for you to get a date dressed in a potato sack, than me to get a date wearing a tuxedo."  
  
I gave up on my shirt and pulled a comb through my hair. I frowned. It wouldn't stop sticking in all directions. Fate was making me look like I had spend the last half hour making out with my girlfriend instead of telling her something that would break her heart, yet possibly save our relationship and fix the rough time (which was about 24 hours and counting) one of my best friends was having with me. Not that I hadn't been doing that. "And we have gone over this one hundred and one times! You are not a nerd. You just haven't found the right girl."  
  
His eyes rolled as he took off his glasses and rubbed one of the lenses in his shirt. "And let me guess; you have." He sighed as he replaced his glasses on his face. "There is no right and wrong girl. Love is like a house of cards. It's how you're cards are played. You have been given a killer hand; a raw deal; and it turns out that in your hand that you get Josie, right? However, one false move and the whole house of cards fall all around you and either you or Josie are left to pick up the pieces."  
  
I blinked and turned toward him. "What!" How could he know? I took a quick breath. Charlie must've told; that two-timing, double-crossing liar! I hope God really down strike him dead!  
  
"However me on the other hand, I have been given the worse hand ever. I couldn't win if everyone else lost!" He shook his head. "I'm no good with metaphors. I don't even like cards." He replied walking away from the door. "You're leaving?"  
  
I swallowed. Was that just a lucky guess? Must've been. "Yeah, going to go talk to Charlie."  
  
"Good luck with that." He replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"What does that mean?" I replied putting a little bit of gel in my hair, figuring it ought to do the trick to keep it in place. I smiled at my reflection and walked out of the washroom and looked at him lounging on his bed with a novel rested on his chest.  
  
"It means the only person who's seen him since he went into his room is Guy." Averman shrugged. "But whatever. Maybe he's just waiting for you to apologize or something."  
  
I grabbed a clean T-shirt off the foot of my bed and tossed off my wrinkled polo and slipped on the shirt. "Maybe."  
  
My roommate nodded, flipped open the book and began reading. "Yeah, I'm going to stay here, so you don't need to take your key. Stupid book." He frowned.  
  
I licked my lips and opened the door. "Thanks Averman."  
  
"God speed." He replied sarcastically as I stepped out into the hall.  
  
I looked down the hall both ways thinking that maybe Averman was pulling my leg and Charlie was actually making mischief with the Bash Brothers or studying with Charlotte and Kenny or maybe even cracking jokes with Goldberg, but no such luck. I crossed the hall to his room that he shared with Guy and swiftly knocked on the wooden door.  
  
The door opened a crack and Guy quickly slipped out closing the door behind him before I could even say anything. "Banksie." He whispered, almost so I couldn't hear him.  
  
"Germaine." I replied at regular room volume. "What's up with you?"  
  
He shushed me angrily. "I don't want Charlie to know it's you. He'll start ranting again."  
  
I smirked. "Ranting?"  
  
"Shush!" He frowned bringing a finger to his lips and looking back at the closed door that had been decorated with hockey memorabilia and ticket stubs from some of the games we had gone to over the last couple years.  
  
"Ranting?" I replied this time whispering as Guy had asked me. This was completely stupid, but I would just go with it.  
  
He nodded. "Yes, ranting. And at the rate he's at he won't have any pictures of you left when you too finally can talk to each other without pummeling each other with insults." He shot back angrily. "I've had to hide the pictures from the Goodwill Games and my yearbook!"  
  
I blinked. "He's tearing up my pictures?"  
  
"No. He's throwing darts at them." He shrugged running a hand nervously through his hair.  
  
"Oh. . ." I swallowed, rubbing my neck that seemed to burn. "Well at least he's taking out his anger on objects rather than people . . ." I mumbled exhaling the breath I had been holding.  
  
Guy nodded. "That's true. Wow . . . I've been looking for the bright side for a while now . . ." He eyed my carefully as he realized I wasn't agreeing with him enthusiastically. "Come on, let's leave Captain 'I want Banksie's Blood' on his own for a while." He suggested tossing his arm over my shoulder, guiding me away from his room and patting his pocket making sure he had his key.  
  
I blinked. "Don't you have something with Connie or something?"  
  
He sighed. "Break-up number two this month."  
  
"Reason?"  
  
He laughed. "Convinced I've been checking out Julie. I swear she's crazy."  
  
"Have you been?"  
  
"No!" He yelped. "Why is she worried about me? I should be worried about her with Mendoza floating around and Varsity and those track guys watching her while she's running!"  
  
I smirked. "I wouldn't worry about Mendoza; he's been seeing that exchange student from Austria-"  
  
"Australia." He corrected quickly.  
  
"Right, Australia." I shook my head. Why did I always mess that up? "And Varsity and the track guys are watching Cons because she's either running really fast or falling on her face."  
  
Guy flinched and dropped his arm from my shoulders. "Yeah. I'm not sure why she keeps falling like that." He shook his head. "Anyways, she broke up with me over a glance at Julie in math, but don't worry. 'Connie and Guy' will be back together by the game tomorrow, it's almost like clockwork." He stopped and turned to me. "Hey, why don't you and Josie come with us? You guys would take off the post-break-up tension. What do you guys do after games and stuff?"  
  
I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm usually tired after games. We usually sit somewhere on the grounds and talk after we celebrate with the team." I smirked. "We don't plan things. The only things that are set in stone are my practices and games and her time in the dark room which are Sunday mornings, while I'm sleeping off the games."  
  
"Oh . . ." Guy frowned. "Well you guys should come anyways. I know you want to." By now we had reached the outside which was starting to de-thaw from the winter's grip on it. I pulled my jacket tight around me. It was still cold.  
  
I laughed. "You know I want to what? The only thing I want to do right now is talk to Charlie so he isn't pissed at me during the game tomorrow."  
  
He looked back at the dormitory as we began to cross the grounds. "I wouldn't go in there. You'd end up with a dart in an uncomfortable place."  
  
I blinked. "Huh?"  
  
Guy shrugged. "He was mumbling something when he was taking the darts from your face. I think it was 'I hope he does loose his manhood' or something. He would also mumble things like 'pompous preppy powder puff'.  
  
I blinked. "I'm so glad I tutored him in alliteration last semester . . ."  
  
Guy frowned. "Yeah, and I'm just bouncing off the walls that I taught him how to properly play darts."  
  
I looked over at Guy. "Let's say we don't teach him anything for a while."  
  
"Deal." He nodded and looked ahead. I don't think he was all the sure where we were going either.  
  
I licked my lips. "It's cold."  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, well I'd rather be cold than having darts tossed past me in all directions. Not to mention Charlie gets weird after he realizes how dumb he's been."  
  
"What does he do?" I laughed.  
  
"Cleans everything." Guy shrugged. "And normally it would be great because after months of living in the mess we call a room, it's clean and my mom can actually come and not lecture me on living in my own filth; but he usually hides my notebooks, and I can't find them for at least a week."  
  
I frowned. "That's not good."  
  
He nodded. "And usually it's the week before a big test."  
  
I bit my lip. "That's definitely not good."  
  
Guy nodded again. "Ok, I don't want to talk about my roommate because he's just depressing right now." He replied shaking it off. "What about you? How are things in paradise?" He laughed nudging me with his elbow. "You and Josie look pretty cozy."  
  
My stomach dropped. Yeah. Let's just move onto the other topic that makes me feel like I'm about to hurl. "I guess." I replied with a smile. "And I wouldn't call it paradise."  
  
"Oh please. You two are like the quintessential high school couple." He smiled. "Next to like Connie and I."  
  
"Yeah. I guess."  
  
"You guess!" He exclaimed. "Connie is still going on about 'Adam and Josie moments'. She's beginning to refer to you guys as one thing; 'Jodam' or 'Adsie' or something. I can't remember what she said you were."  
  
My stomach dropped even more. I began to curse Connie's name in my head. Evil, evil girl. "I wouldn't go that far . . ."  
  
"You two are almost attached at the hip."  
  
I shook my head. "We're not . . ."  
  
Guy stopped. "What's with you Banks? Before yesterday someone would mention Josie and you would go on for hours. Now you're monosyllabic."  
  
I blinked. "Have you been reading the dictionary?"  
  
Guy frowned. "No. I've been preparing for SATs; my mom and my step-dad have been on my back saying my vocabulary sucks and that just because I got a scholarship to Eden Hall doesn't mean I'll get one to a college. So I went to my guidance counselor and he signed me up for this new word per day thing on the internet." He stopped and shook his head. "Hey you're changing the subject!"  
  
I scolded myself. Note to self: become sneakier and lose my conscience while I'm at it. "Well I don't want to talk about Josie. I've been going on, like you said for months. Maybe I just need a change in subject."  
  
Guy frowned. "Is something wrong with you guys?"  
  
"No! There is nothing wrong with us! God!" I snapped at him.  
  
His eyes grew wide and he took a step back. "Ok Banksie, nothing is wrong; I get it. Just take deep breaths ok?"  
  
I was shocked at myself. "Sorry." I mumbled rubbing my forehead. "I'm just stressed and you were the closest target. You know, the game, school, and everyone asking what's wrong, it's just building."  
  
Guy nodded. "Oh . . ." He licked his lips. "I've never really thought of you the type to get stressed before a game. I mean, yeah the Goodwill Games, but school games? Normally you get really mellow or smiley or something, not stressed."  
  
"Well, the season is ending, and we have a chance to go to state and we have a lot to live up to. Eden Hall has quite the reputation. A lot of winners, a lot of successes and I have to be one of those people." I stopped. It scared me that I was getting so good at lying. I just said what someone would expect me to say. I have an overbearing father; I said was the typical pressured son would say.  
  
"Jesus, Banks." Guy replied guiltily. "I didn't know you thought that way." His eyes looked worried. "Dude you have to relax. You're great and you don't have to worry about it."  
  
I took a breath preparing to lie again. "Thanks Guy, I need to hear that."  
  
An alert on Guy's watch went off and he sighed. "We have practice now. I'll see you down at the gym; I've got to make sure Charlie gets off his ass."  
  
I nodded slowly.  
  
~*~  
  
"Ok, Banks, Conway, Mendoza and Robertson, start jogging. Girls, sprints and Tyler, Goldberg, Averman, work on pacing yourself. The rest of you couple laps and meet me back here." Orion gave out our assignments as we stood in the gym.  
  
I rubbed my arm and looked over at Charlie who was stretching his leg before starting. I walked over to him and licked my lips. "Charlie."  
  
"Have you told her or not?" Charlie replied staring ahead not even meeting my eyes.  
  
I swallowed. "No, I've been busy. I'm going to though."  
  
He looked over at me quickly. "When?"  
  
I pursed my lips as I felt more and more annoyed at him. "I don't know Charlie, why do I just break out my day planner and check so it can work out with both of our schedules?!"  
  
He started jogging and rushed after him. "Look, you don't have to be so God damned snippy about it."  
  
My jaw dropped. "I'm snippy? You're the one who's butting into my relationship!"  
  
He shrugged. "You welcomed me with open arms."  
  
"That was before I knew my friendship with you was based on whether or not I break my girlfriend's heart." I replied angrily turning the corner in step with Charlie.  
  
"I don't want to be friends with liars." He replied nonchalantly.  
  
I shook my head. "I'm not a liar. You know that Charlie. We've been friends since we were ten, that's almost six years, and not once have I lied to you except for my wrist, but that's completely different."  
  
"And Varsity. You said you didn't know about the dinner."  
  
"I didn't know about Varsity. We've gone over that ten million times. I didn't know that they were going to leave you with the bill and I paid you back more than what I owed when I came back to the Ducks." I replied angrily. I hated when he threw this in my face.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "You're daddy probably paid."  
  
"Actually no! He didn't!" I yelled at him. "He refused to pay, you asshole. I had to loan the money from him and then over the summer I got a part time job down in the mall, thank you very much. I had to pay him every cent back."  
  
Charlie's eyes softened. "Oh . . . I didn't know."  
  
I scoffed at him. "Yeah, maybe you should ask people before you make assumptions and accusations." I replied.  
  
"Sorry." He mumbled.  
  
I shrugged. "Whatever. Can we at least be civil and forget about this on the ice?" I replied my eyes locking ahead of us.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah whatever." He blinked and looked ahead. "Are you going to tell her?"  
  
"I don't know." I spat at him.  
  
He swallowed and nodded. "I think you should."  
  
"I honestly don't care what you think anymore." I replied jogging ahead of him. I may be the worst boyfriend in the world, but he's the jerk.  
  
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A/N: Yay! More Charlie/Adam tension! It's fun to write. Uh. . . I wrote this right after I woke up, again. Gah!! I hate it!! What is wrong with me! However, I write well when I'm sleep deprived. Not sure why. I either have to write in the wee hours in the morning or right when I wake. *shakes head* I'm weird. Ok, I'm not tired anymore, so my shout outs may be a little *duh . . .* but they aren't really the important part. I just like getting back to you guys! You guys Rock!!  
  
Shout outs!  
  
Beaner- Hey you! I'm so glad you loved my fights! I love to write them! Actually I don't have to listen to violent music when I think of them! That fight actually came to me while I was in the car with my mom and she flipped on some opera singer guy! LOL! Yay! I love writing Orion! He's awesome!! I love him!! Later in the story I'm going to address Orion's private life as a subplot. I'm still in consideration. I was setting up for it in Don't Speak. Ok, I agree, my brother isn't the spawn of Satan, but he does have his moments. Yeah, confrontation . . . I hate it . . . *coughs*. If I hate it, why do I get giddy when I write it? Should I be like cowering? *shrugs* Well, the test did get something right. It gave like a bunch of jobs I might enjoy and creative writer was on there. That was kind of spooky. Anywho, later!  
  
DuckHockey00214496- Yeah, you should save some time for pondering about you're stories. That might be a good idea. Ok, don't call Adam names!! *pouts* I love him!! Ok, yeah, he's being an idiot for not telling her, and all that junk. Yeah, making out with her when he should be telling her something isn't probably the smartest thing to do, but you know, what can I do? Wait . . . I'm the writer so I can do a lot, so why don't I stop it . . . Oh wait . . . my plot! I forgot about that! OK, just sit tight and I'll straighten this out soon ok? Later!  
  
Shelbers- Ok so you may not read this like anytime soon, so we'll see. Yeah, a little bit of trouble in the team, but I think it's kind of worked out. Sort of. Well you read the chapter! I'm so glad you liked it! It was so fun to write! Have fun on your vacation! Later!  
  
Rach- *sighs* You didn't have to grovel. However, praising my glory is cool. *giggles* Ok, first of all, I am not the best Duck's writer. Steven Brill is. He created awesomely awesome characters that are super awesome! Second of all, there are at least ten writers better than I in this fandom. I'm just a grade 10 student in Canada. My vocabulary could be better and my style could be improved, but I'm trying. Yeah, I know you love Charlie/Adam tension just about as much as I do. *rolls eyes* Some people play Adam and Charlie like 'yay! You did something really stupid. . .' 'Yeah, I did!' 'Let's frolic!' sort of thing. Yeah, go ahead, but YOU were the one who helped me decided for sure to put that in there. I knew after the chapter before last, I needed something to get people back on their toes. And from your review it looks like I succeeded. Oh Mud Dogs . . . I heard of that before. It might have been in a movie or something and I was like what the hell, they're a hockey team now. Yeah, my friend's brother is always in fights with his friends and I don't understand why. My brother was always peaceful and even when he did play hockey, he only got one penalty, and he didn't even do it! LOL. I love writing Orion, so he'll play a bigger role than he did in my other story. Thanks; you rock! Later!  
  
OreoLine00- You're excused! As long as you drop by every so often! *blinks* You only realized now Josie had a secret? Have you reviewed at all? *blinks* Ok . . . hold on I've got to check my records . . . Okay, yeah you did review my sequel . . . *frowns* What secret? I don't remember Josie saying in any other chapter that she had a secret. Ok, *shakes head* I'm so confuzzled. But don't worry, it's probably me. I haven't had my caffeine fix for the day. Yeah, I sometimes wish Charlie was real; however I doubt I would spill all my secrets to him. I think I would be just kidding around with him. Oh! My Orion line! I love that line! It's one of my favorites! My two guy friends were fighting each other and everyone else were like 'Do they know that their fighting each other? I thought they were best friends!' But their good now. I'm not exactly sure what they were fighting about though. Going through a Charlie phase? Ok, well I'm not quite sure, but I think he's going to be in the next couple chapters a lot. We'll see.  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Gah!! I'm stupid!! I completely forgot about that! But you see I figure a way to not have to use your real name. It's called a 'Cut and Paste'. It's this genius thing that all you have to do is highlight the word and I can stick it anywhere I want to! *nods* Aren't I smart?! LOL. There is this guy. . . Yeah I have one of those. I think I've talked about him before . . . *slaps forehead* Sorry! I didn't get your Sandlot reference. I haven't seen that movie in years so I wouldn't get any references. I sort of remember the plot. I'm glad you enjoyed my chapter because it was so fun to write! I hope you like this one. Yeah well I better jet too, so later!  
  
Ok Peoples that's it! I'll be back soon!!  
  
Review!  
  
~Toodles!  
  
KatieGurl! 


	8. Wake up and what?

I could feel Josie at the end of my bed just sitting there. She hadn't said anything yet to me this morning but I didn't consider the fact that I have basically separated myself from the world since after practice. I just wanted to be alone. If I was alone, no one would know or ask me about the very person on the end of my bed.  
  
"Adam, get up." I heard Josie whisper getting up from the foot of my bed. I could hear her moving close to my head but I just played it off as if I were sleeping. "I know you're not asleep. Averman told me you already chewed him out for trying to get you out of bed."  
  
Note to self: kill Averman. "Go away. I don't want to get up. I want to sleep. I'm tired."  
  
"Adam, you're usually up at dawn, besides you have to eat a good breakfast. The hockey game? Mud Dogs? You're planning on crushing them?" She coaxed rubbing my shoulder lightly.  
  
"I'm not going." I replied tightening my grip on the covers that were pulled over my head.  
  
I could almost see the smirk spreading around her face. "Yes you are. Almost every scout in the state and surrounding states are going to be at this game to see Varsity. And weren't you telling me that they usually come early to look at next year's possibilities?"  
  
I groaned. Why did I tell her about all of that? "I don't care. The scouts can just kiss my white preppy ass. I don't want to go." I shivered, and shifted so my foot was under the covers; my tiny cocoon of solitude.  
  
"Adam!" She yelped. "You don't want to do this! You will regret it if you skip today's game. Especially over something that I don't even understand. So how about you tell me why you don't want to get out of bed and play hockey."  
  
"Charlie is a jackass."  
  
She sighed. "I'm glad we got that straightened out. Do you want to tell me why he's a jackass?" I felt her weight fall onto the edge of my bed.  
  
Because he's butting into our relationship, telling me that I should tell you that I read your diary over Christmas break and I think he's being a jerk for telling me what I should and should not do in a relationship he has nothing to do with. Yeah, like I could tell her that. "Because he is."  
  
The springs from the bed squealed as she got up. "Fine, if you won't tell me, I'll ask him."  
  
I sat up in my bed. "No don't!" I tossed the covers off my head and stared at her with wide eyes. If she asked him he might actually tell her, and I would lose her forever. "He's being an idiot right now and I don't want you in the middle of a fight that he and I are in."  
  
She shrugged. "Adam, I'm you're girlfriend, not Charlie's, so as crazy as this might n sound, I'm on you're side, however, I am his friend and I think that you two need an unbiased moderator." She smirked. "And I just happen to be willing to offer my services, however it won't be free. I do charge."  
  
"No, seriously Josie; don't, okay?" I replied. "Charlie and I need to work this out on our own."  
  
She walked over to me and rolled her eyes. "And you two seem to be doing so well. I mean, first you beat each other up, for an undisclosed reason, then you have words during practice. And now, you are sitting in your room sulking, trying to ruin your possible career in hockey, by not playing. I swear its genius."  
  
I pulled my knees to my chin. "Don't mock the age old ways of men."  
  
"Here's the deal. I won't mock 'the age old ways of men' if you get up, get dressed and talk to Charlie." She replied falling back onto my bed and smiling.  
  
I cocked an eyebrow. "But what will you do?"  
  
"Girlie stuff."  
  
I laughed. "You don't like girlie stuff. The only girlie stuff you really like is figure skating, and even when that's on TV you let me watch the hockey game instead."  
  
She frowned. "Hey, just because I like figure skating doesn't mean I like watching it." She replied. "It is terribly boring and guys in tights are just wrong."  
  
"Didn't Peter wear tights?" I smirked. We had come a long way since November. I remember a time when either of us would mention him and she would end up crying. Now she laughed, drunk with happiness.  
  
"Yes, but only during competitions. Oh, he hated them so much." She shook her head. "He wore track pants and the club clothing whenever he could." She sat up and smiled. "Go talk to Charlie." She quickly changed the subject.  
  
I groaned and narrowed my eyes at her. "You have learned my evasive ways."  
  
She shrugged. "That's what you get when you hang out with me almost 24/7; I learn your tricks." She kissed my cheek and laughed. "I swear to God, give me a hockey stick and I could do that little triple deek thing you and Charlie do."  
  
I laughed. "I bet you could." I leaned into kiss her, but she immediately stood up.  
  
"After you talk to Charlie." She smiled.  
  
My jaw dropped. "You're holding your kisses ransom! You can't do that!"  
  
She shrugged and opened my closet pulling out a pair of khakis and throwing them in my face. "I can do whatever I want." She tossed a blue polo at me. "No rules. It's this philosophy I have."  
  
I smirked and tossed the clothing aside. "No rules hmmm?" I casually wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my chin on her shoulder. "Well that means I could do whatever I want too." I whispered into her ear.  
  
She laughed. "I would be a whole lot more comfortable if you were in more than just boxers." She shot back.  
  
"Yeah well, you don't always get what you wish for."  
  
She weaved her way out of my arms gracefully and shook her head. "Talk to Charlie, Adam, or I'm going to find out what you're fighting about and you do not want me doing detective work." She threatened as she slipped through the door.  
  
I leaned against my closet and bit my lip. Shit. It was either: tell Josie; what Charlie wanted, or let her play Nancy Drew and figure out what's going on, on her own. Either way, it was crappy.  
  
~*~  
  
I grabbed Charlie's elbow before he got up to join the rest of the Ducks that were filing on the ice.  
  
"Charlie, we have to look like we are good friends again. Please! Do it for me!" I begged him quietly.  
  
Charlie frowned. "Banks; you're weird." He attempted to get up, but I pulled him back onto the bench with a thump.  
  
I looked into his eyes seriously. "I'm going to tell her tomorrow. I'm going to tell Josie tomorrow while we're on a date completely alone. But, if we don't look like we're getting along, she is going to start snooping around and I don't want her to find out on her own. So please Charlie."  
  
"No." He replied simply. "You made this mess and you made it completely clear yesterday that you didn't want my help or opinion. I'm glad you're telling her but I'm not butting into you're business. It only causes me trouble."  
  
I sighed. "Do you want me to beg?" He shrugged and I rolled my eyes. "I'm begging. Please! I'm begging." I whined at him.  
  
He licked his lips and shook his head. "Fine. But on the record, I'm doing this for her. She deserves to hear it from you and not be alone when she finds out."  
  
I smiled. "Thank you!"  
  
We both got up and he looked over at me quickly. "And another thing. I'm still angry at you until you tell her."  
  
I nodded. "I wouldn't expect it any other way." The rest of the walk to the ice was silent except for the dull roar of the arena that was ahead of us.  
  
He nodded and walked ahead of me stepping onto the ice. "You owe me one Banks."  
  
I smiled and stepped onto the ice where a mixture of quacking and barking greeted me enthusiastically. I looked around the crowd for Josie but I couldn't see her. I sighed. That wasn't cool.  
  
Orion waved us all in and which we quickly complied, rushing over towards the bench. "Ok, Ducks. From what I've heard, the Mud Dogs have a defense to be reckoned with, but you know what we've been working on. You need to be fast on you're feet." His eyes darted from person to person. "Their goalie also has a slow glove, from what I see. Everyone, ready? Alright hands in."  
  
But before we could even start our chant, the Mud Dogs, in their gold and red uniforms started their chant.  
  
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"  
  
Averman looked over at me. "Woof? You have to be kidding me." He shook his head. "They stole our chant and made it crappy. I am so glad we weren't offered a scholarship to be a Mud Dog. I would rather be dead then having to bark at every game."  
  
"Averman." Orion hissed. "Get you're head in the game. You can't rant later." He shook his head. "Hands in."  
  
Averman grumbled a 'sure after they've done it once' and put his hand in.  
  
"Quack! Quack! Quack!" We chanted; the loud group in the stands dressed in green and white screamed along with us. I couldn't help but smile.  
  
"GO DUCKS!"  
  
I looked back at the stands as I skated over to my spot at center. I smiled widely. Josie.  
  
She stood up wearing my pee-wee jersey grinning, looking down at the game. It was going to be one hell of a game.  
  
~*~  
  
"You guys did great!" Josie laughed grabbing my hands as I walked out of the change room after a very long, tedious game. She kissed my lips lightly and smiled at Connie and Guy who were right behind us.  
  
I shrugged. "We tied. I should've tried harder."  
  
Guy frowned at my comment. "If you didn't play your best, then I must've been crawling on the ice instead of skating."  
  
The girls nodded in agreement. "Yeah Adam. We all played hard. It's just that the Mud Dogs played hard too. Especially you; I saw that hit you took. That was rough." Connie added with a slight smile.  
  
Josie nodded. "Exactly. Even the guy beside me was taking notes on you Adam." Josie replied nonchalantly, letting go of my hand and walking ahead of me.  
  
I looked at both Connie and Guy with wide eyes; their expressions matched mine. "WHAT!!" We yelped in sync.  
  
Josie jumped and spun around blinking nervously. "Did I say something wrong?"  
  
Guy and I rushed to her side and both of us wrapped an arm over her shoulder, leaving Connie in the dust.  
  
"You were sitting beside a scout!!" Guy yelped anxiously.  
  
"What did he write?" I yelped as Guy nodded enthusiastically.  
  
She shrugged trying to get out from between a pair of still fairly sweaty hockey players. "I don't know. I saw your name and number and the rest was in shorthand." She bit her lip as my face fell. "I talked to him though. He said that I offered good insight into the real you."  
  
I took a deep breath. Oh. God. "What did you say? What did you tell him?"  
  
She blinked. "The truth? I told him that you basically live and breathe hockey and that you'd do anything to play."  
  
Guy nodded. "That sounds good. But what did he say?" He asked quickly forcing all the words together into one big mumble as he jumped from foot to foot excitedly.  
  
Josie began to shrink nervously under the pressure of being interrogated the way she was. "I don't know."  
  
"Guys!" Leave the poor girl alone!" Connie yelped pushing past us and pulling Josie out of our grasp. "Give her at least a little time to breathe between questions!"  
  
Guy and I exchanged quick glances. "Okay. . . Now what did he say?!"  
  
Josie took a deep breath as we came to a halt not too far from the arena. "He said that you were lucky to have a really supportive girlfriend and that every good hockey player needs a good support system." Josie nodded, recollecting what 'he' had said, slowly.  
  
Connie's triumphant smile faded away and a more questioning look took its place. "What school was it?"  
  
Josie's head jerk toward her in surprise expecting the next question to come from either Guy or I. "I'm not sure." Josie replied calmly. "But he gave me his card." She dug into her jeans pocket and handed me a blue and white business card.  
  
"Holy Crap!" I yelped. "Oh my God . . . Oh my God . . ." I mumbled nervously, shaking with nervousness and terror all at the same time.  
  
Connie gripped onto Guy's jacket excitedly. "What is it Banks?"  
  
I stared at Josie who looked just as excited as I felt. "Did you look at the card?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. It was none of my business." She smiled. "I'm just the messenger."  
  
My stomach groaned guiltily. Damn. It's pretty bad when your girlfriend is teaching you a lesson with her knowing it. "Josie, its Yale." I replied as calmly as I could, handing her the card as if it would shatter into a million pieces if it wasn't handled properly.  
  
Connie's jaw dropped. "As in the university?!" She shook her head violently, her hair swishing back and forth. "But you're in grade 10!"  
  
"Grade 10 and Yale is already looking at you." Guy echoed, trying to make sense of it all. "If my mom found out, she might consider adopting you."  
  
I smirked. "They weren't 'watching' me, you guys." I replied trying to lower myself from the pedestal they were putting me on. "It was more like a glance before looking at the real applicants." I looked at them all. "Varsity?"  
  
Connie rolled her eyes. "Yeah. And it wasn't Guy's fault we broke up last time." She replied thrusting her thumb over her shoulder at her boyfriend."  
  
"It wasn't my fault!" Guy yelped in defense as we started moving again. "I've told you this once; I've told you this ten times! I was not looking at Julie!"  
  
"Sure. . ." She scoffed, linking arms with Josie and walking ahead of us.  
  
Guy muttered something under his breath and looked over at me. "You are so lucky you don't have a girlfriend who is completely crazy."  
  
"I heard that!" Cons called over her shoulder and returned to her conversation with Josie.  
  
I sighed. Yeah, I'm so glad I agreed to do this.  
  
~*~  
  
I looked at the glowing numbers on the clock on my nightstand. I groaned. "Josie, wake up."  
  
She stretched and yawned, but curled up under my arm. "Why? It's still dark out?"  
  
I rubbed her shoulder making sure she wouldn't go back to sleep. "You should head back to you're dorm. Julie might be wondering where you are and I've heard that tonight their doing bed checks."  
  
She groaned. "I don't want to move."  
  
"And yet you have to." I smiled. "Come on. Up." I replied picking her up off my bed and forcing her into sitting position.  
  
She sighed and kissed my lips. "Why can't we have sleepovers like last semester?"  
  
I laughed. "Because we don't have to hide anymore and because of our 'sleepovers' we get more bed checks. Now up." I pulled her off my bed and I rubbed her arms that we covered in my old jersey. "Where's you're coat?"  
  
She blinked and looked around the room groaning. "I think I left it in Guy's room after the movie. I'll have to get it tomorrow."  
  
I nodded and grabbed my lettermen's jacket from the foot of my bed. "There, now you match."  
  
She laughed. "Yeah, it looks like I've been swallowed by the team spirit monster." She slipped her arms into my jacket and smiled. "Are you coming with?"  
  
I shook my head. "You'll be fine. Curfew isn't for another fifteen minutes so you'll have plenty of time, however I wouldn't be able to make it back."  
  
She nodded as I walked her to the door, which was only like five steps. "Good night." She whispered grazing my lips with her own.  
  
"Good night." I smirked, knowing she was teasing me. I wrapped both arms around her waist and stooped to meet her lips. She met me eagerly halfway.  
  
She pulled away. "Ok I'm either going now, or not at all." She whispered bring a finger to her lips and blushing madly.  
  
"Ok, you're going." I smiled opening the door and giving her a playful push.  
  
She nodded. "We're meeting at lunch right?"  
  
I made a face. We always did that. "How about we go off campus instead."  
  
"Awesome." She nodded. "I'll meet you here after I'm finished developing. I can give Charlie the pictures to put in the scrapbook. Oh! Camera!"  
  
I looked around the room and grabbed her camera off my desk. "Lucky." I smirked as I handed it to her. "Night."  
  
"Night Adam." She whispered. "Love ya." She laughed as she walked down the hall.  
  
I closed the door and walked over to my computer. "Stupid Spanish assignment. . ." I grumbled looking around my desk. Where did that stupid disk go?  
  
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A/N: Yes, I know. No hockey stuff. I was planning on it, but I wasn't inspired to write a game, besides it wasn't really necessary, you know? I would be just this random game. But I promise there will be at least one hockey game in this sequel. I had like two or three in Don't Speak right? *shrugs* Don't remember. Anyways, I thought I should tell you.  
  
Shout outs!  
  
OreoLine00- Ok . . . First of all. I love your reviews! They make me happy! And I totally agree, Charlie and Guy are in my top three all time favorite Ducks (Adam is in there too! If he wasn't one of my favorites . . . why would I write something about him?? *shrugs*) Yeah Charlie is totally right! And I would get Charlie to tie my shoes also, but I have this system where all I have to do is slip them on . . . I guess if I had my very own Charlie (or any other Duck . . .) I could get him to do the slipping of my shoes onto my feet for me. *sighs* I'm glad you like my Guy . . . the Guy . . . just Guy alright! *blinks* I'm confusing myself. Yeah I like to make my characters more complicated. It's more fun to write. Ok. . . I've never actually read West Side Story (but it's on my list of things to do over the summer!!) but I think it was actually based partially on Romeo and Juliet. And I like the idea for using Charlie and an OC, but I think Charlie's mom wouldn't really conflict with anyone unless they were like threatening Charlie or something. But his friends maybe. *shrugs* I don't know. It isn't my place to poke holes into you're ideas. Think of it this way, just run with it. If someone likes it; good for you. If no one does, meh . . . no biggie. You're doing what you like to do. I say go with it, especially if you're inspired. Now go! Write! Be Merry!  
  
Pyro44- Hey! I'm not holding it against you! I'm in high school! I know exactly what stress feels like when a deadline is closing in. Speaking of which, I should be working on a project . . . but *sigh* I am a procrastinator. So sue me. I love writing fights, and I love tension and I absolutely love tension breaking or making lines, especially when they have humor in them. I'm glad you enjoy it! Guy is one of my favorites to write next to Adam, Charlie and Averman. I'm not sure why. But he's definitely in the top five for me! Yeah, I totally wish the Ducks were real. *sigh* however, it is all just a fantasy. I wish...  
  
banks'_ gurl_99- Hey! Well hello new reviewer! Welcome to my story!! I'm for sure going to be writing more and I'm glad you like my story (or stories maybe?) Come back and review me sometime ok? Coolies? Later!  
  
Rach- Oh! Silly me! *slaps wrist* I knew I forgot about something! Stupid daisies! lol! I love tension too!! Do I sense a Twilight Zone moment coming on? *shrugs* Oh you so have a way with words! I love it!! I've been avoiding Averman lately (it's sad I know) because I haven't had anything for him to rant about or be funny about. I finally got it. Yeah I did notice that you keep saying we . . . Is someone stepping into MY spotlight? *giggles* Step away!! I don't think it rocks, but whatever you run with that. Yeah Charlie was freaking out, but he was looking out for his friend and his new friend at the same time. I love making Adam more real and less preppy princess Duck. Later!  
  
Beaner- I was writing the Guy scene with you in mind. I really want to make a good strong Guy and Adam bond. Not sure why. Yeah, that would be an awesome scene, however I think I could make it better, however I think it would be slightly out of place in this story. You like Charlie's alliterations? I love writing them!! Their so much fun! It's ok! No biggie about the little review. I'll live!! Don't forget! Tell Ash about Don't Speak! *cries* My AOL is all funny. I'm so angry. . .  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- hey! No big! I was whining about it and my brother was like... Katie (that's my name) cut and paste... hello?? I was like oh... yeah that works. Yeah I'm never quite sure what I talk about. *laughs* I love stories that start with 'well there was this guy. . .' I'm glad you liked last chapter! I can't wait until you're next review!  
  
Ashcake- Hey!! I'm glad you've joined into this story!! Ok, it would take a little bit of time for me to like write a summary of Don't Speak for you, so I have asked a good friend of yours to help me out! Just ask Katie to explain it to you and she will. She basically knows more about that story than I do! I hope you get to this soon, so yeah. Review anytime!! Later!!  
  
Review!!  
  
~Toodles!  
  
KatieGurl! 


	9. Sunday Morning

I woke up from a dreamless sleep smiling. I liked it better that way. From the way my dreams had been going, I didn't want to ever dream again . . . unless it was of Josie in a . . . wait . . . why am I telling you this?  
  
I sat up quickly and looked around the room. Averman was still fast asleep, as per usual on a Sunday morning at; I looked at the clock quickly; 10:30. I silently congratulated myself. I never slept in. It was about time that I actually slept in after I played a hard game.  
  
I walked over to my closet and pulled out some clothes and tossed them onto the foot of my bed. Something was missing. I had my shirt, and my pants. . .  
  
"Banks, you make too much noise in the morning." Averman groaned sitting up. He grabbed a hacky sack off his headboard and threw it at me. "If I had the energy to, I would tackle you."  
  
I smirked. Tackle; Football; sport; Letterman's jacket. I looked back at my closet. I knew I was missing something. Josie had my letterman's jacket.  
  
"Guys open up!" A yell from outside our door interrupted my moment of clarity.  
  
Averman yawned and rolled onto his stomach. "You get that. I'll get the next one." He then buried his face in the pillow. Sure he would.  
  
I opened the door and rolled my eyes. "Charlie, Guy, Fulton, Portman." I greeted them all with a nod. "Why are you here?"  
  
Guy shrugged and walked right past me into the room. "Bored." He collapsed on Averman's bed on Averman, who yelped and attempted to push Guy off him, who in turn grabbed the nearest thing; Averman's leg and pulled it as he toppled to the floor. Guy mumbled an 'Ow' while Averman cursed angrily.  
  
I shook my head. "Nice." I turned to the others that were slowly invading my room. "Hey, can you come back after I'm dressed?"  
  
Fulton shook his head. "No because we're bored now." He sat down on my unmade bed and pushed back so he was leaning against the wall.  
  
I sighed and grabbed my clothes before Portman sat on them and escaped to the washroom to get changed.  
  
"Banks! Get that!" I heard Averman yell.  
  
I frowned as I pulled my shirt over my head. Why was Averman yelling at me? Why now? I shook my head. It would have to wait until after I had pants on.  
  
"Banks!"  
  
I groaned and opened the door and soon realized that Portman, Fulton, Guy and Charlie also included Julie, Ken and Connie. "Ok, why is everyone here?" I was too fatigued to be dealing with so many people all at once.  
  
"We're congratulating you." Kenny replied in a 'Duh!' voice. He sat down on the floor beside Charlie who was leaning against my bed.  
  
I blinked. "For what?"  
  
Connie rolled her eyes. "Yale! The hockey scout! It's crazy!"  
  
I blinked again. "I'm in grade 10. It doesn't really matter if a scout is looking at me now." I replied in monotone and slight shock. "For all I know I may quit hockey next year."  
  
Charlie slapped his hands over his ears immediately and closed his eyes tight. "La la la la la la la la!" He yelled trying to tune me out. "I'm not listening. La la la la la!"  
  
Portman looked down at Charlie and shook his head. "Our Captain is crazy. I swear he has some serious mental problems."  
  
He dropped his hands from his ears and threw a pillow that I had tossed off my bed in the middle of the night at Portman. "I did hear that, however." He frowned and eyed Portman.  
  
I shook my head. "Ok, we're done congratulating me for something that I didn't even get or do. So can we like move this little 'early morning celebration' to another room, like the dining hall." I coaxed opening the door and waving my free hand at it. Much to my dismay no one moved. I blinked. "Does anyone understand that I'm saying get out?"  
  
Guy nodded from untangling himself from the sheets that had fallen off Averman's bed. "Yeah and we're choosing to ignore it." The rest of the people lounging in the room nodded in agreement as Fulton discovered the remote to the TV that was on Averman's desk, flicking it on.  
  
I groaned. I was planning on kicking Averman out before Josie came over after she finished in the dark room. It was next to impossible to kick everyone out in time without even hinting around the fact that my girlfriend was coming over. "Ok guys, be serious, out. I have a date."  
  
"Yikes . . . he's going to break out the really preppy clothes then." Averman shivered and pushed Guy who was beginning to crush his leg. "Cover your eyes. I swear every time I see them I want to run out and buy khakis!"  
  
I grabbed an old sneaker from the floor and threw it at him. "Actually I'm just going to wear what I'm wearing now thank you very much." I rolled my eyes at him and looked down at what I was wearing, a blue polo and jeans.  
  
"You're serious?" Connie asked grabbing at Guy's arm and pulling him in between Charlie and her leaning against my bed.  
  
I blinked and frowned. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"  
  
Connie and Julie exchanged glances. "All you wear are polo shirts Adam." Julie replied honestly. "It's not that it's a bad thing, it's just that you look like you've got stock in a polo company or something."  
  
I frowned at them. "You leave my shirts alone. I like my shirts." I pulled at my shirt and shook my head. "Don't you have something better to do?"  
  
"They already said they were bored." Averman replied rolling his eyes and crawling back into his bed. "Obviously they don't."  
  
"Ok, but can yourselves unnoticeable when Josie comes." I requested with a sigh. It was obvious I wasn't going to win this.  
  
Kenny raised his hand as if he were in class. "So does this mean you don't want us making kissy faces when she comes?"  
  
I make a face. "Don't even think about . . ."  
  
A soft knock on the door interrupted me.  
  
I looked at it and turned to my friends. "I swear to God, you do that and I won't talk to you guys." I walked over to the door and opened it slowly.  
  
"Adam." Josie whispered, her hair hiding her face, she pushed it out of her eyes, revealing her tear stained cheeks and red puffy eyes, her chin quivered.  
  
I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her inside, which she quickly shrugged off. "Jose! What happened?!"  
  
She spun around to face me completely ignoring the surprised looks on the Duck's faces. She winded and slapped my cheek as hard as she possibly could. "Why don't you tell me Adam?!"  
  
Fulton immediately jumped off my bed and wrapped an arm around her waist not allowing her to pummel me with her tiny clenched fists. "Hey, hey, hey!" He yelped as she squirmed to get at me. "Josie, what happened?"  
  
"He's a liar!" She screamed tears spilling out of her eyes.  
  
Fulton licked his lips. "Ok, Josie you tell me what really happened and if it's a good reason I'll hit him." He bargained.  
  
Oh shit.  
  
Josie squirmed out of his arms quickly and reached into my jacket that she was still wearing and pulled out what I was hoping she didn't find. "How long have you known?" She spat, tossing the disk at my feet.  
  
I blinked. "Known what?" I scolded myself. Why was I lying when I was already caught?  
  
Fulton eyed both me and Josie carefully as she panted from crying and fighting him off. She shook her head angrily. "Fine. Why? Why did you read it?"  
  
"Will, he gave it to me and . . ."  
  
"Shut up!" She yelled. "I don't care where or how you got it. What matters is you read it. Did you read my diary? Tell me. Did you?"  
  
"Josie, I love you . . ."  
  
Her eyes shimmered with tears that threatened to fall. "Adam, be quiet. I don't want to hear that ok?" She closed her eyes and covered her eyes with one hand. "Yes or no Adam. Did you, or did you not read my diary for therapy?" She whispered. "A simple yes or no."  
  
My eyes dropped to the floor. "Yes."  
  
"No!" She yelped painfully now covering both eyes with her hands. I could hear her weeping as quietly as she could. I looked up to look at her and saw her crumbling. "No. . ." She moaned, one of the walls of my room holding her up, just barely.  
  
I touched her shoulder, but my hand was shaken off quickly. "Josie I'm so sorry." I whispered.  
  
She looked at me. "No you're not." She gasped. "You're just sorry you were caught." She wiped her eyes with her hands and took some calming breaths. "How long have you known?"  
  
I reached to touch her shoulder again. "Jose-"  
  
"Don't call me that and don't touch me." She snapped angrily as she backed toward the door. "How long have you known?" She stated, her voice wavering between being hysterical and angry.  
  
I looked to my feet again. I couldn't dare to look her in the eyes. "Christmas."  
  
"You son of a bitch!" She yelped as I looked up at her. Tears slide down her crimson cheeks. "You asshole! I can't believe you!" She screamed. "You make me tell you that I love you; make me promise I wouldn't break up with you! I can't believe you! What the hell! Did you change overnight?!"  
  
"Josie, I do love you." I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "I really do. If you just work with me here we can get through this!"  
  
She blinked completely shocked. "Get through this!" She pushed the hair that had fallen into her eyes aside. "We're through."  
  
My breath caught in my throat. "Josie you promised . . ."  
  
"And you promised you would never hurt me and look where that's gotten me." She shook her head and choked on her tears.  
  
"Josie, please . . ." Tears pricked my eyelids like hundreds of needles.  
  
She took off my jacket and shoved it into my arms. She looked down at her hand and pulled off the ring I had give her and held it out to hand to me.  
  
"No Josie I gave that to you." I whispered shaking my head.  
  
She bit back her tears. "Well I don't want it. Take it."  
  
"Jose. . ."  
  
She threw it onto my bed where Portman and a bunch of my team sat completely shocked. "Don't call me that ok Adam?"  
  
I closed my eyes. "Give me another chance." I whispered wiping away a tear before it fell. "I was just worried about you . . ."  
  
"No." She replied harshly. "I don't need you worried about me. I don't need you worried about what poor little me will do to herself next ok? I've already got my family worried about me and I don't want you some spoiled little rich boy doing that too alright?" She turned her back and gripped the door handle. "We're over."  
  
"You're my one!" I yelped before she could leave. "I couldn't love anyone but you and I'm sorry I lied but . . ."  
  
She spun around. "You're right! You are a liar! You are a child! And . . ." She stopped hurling names at me for a fraction of a second, drawing in a shaky uneven breath. "And I can't believe I could ever love you."  
  
I squeezed my eyes closed in pain. "You don't mean it." I whispered. "You aren't thinking straight . . ." I opened my eyes and locked with her large hazel eyes.  
  
She shrugged and opened the door. "I think I've never thought clearer. She licked her lips and shrugged. "I'll get Julie to give back you're jersey." She whispered and took off her bag and opened it up dropping a bright green box on the floor. She stood up straight and walked out the door closing it softly behind her.  
  
I blinked completely amazed. No goodbye. No fuck you. Just, a 'Julie will give you back you're jersey' and a 'we're through'. The ironic thing was that I was going to tell her today. I wasn't going to wait any longer. I wasn't going to hold back.  
  
"Banksie, I'm sorry." I heard a voice whisper. "I seriously didn't want to be right . . ." It was Charlie. He was the only other person who knew.  
  
Julie walked past me and shook her head unsure of what to do. "I think I'm going to make sure she makes it back to our dorm okay." She whispered chasing after my girlfriend.  
  
Ex-girlfriend.  
  
I've never had an ex-girlfriend. I wasn't really planning on it either. I guess Averman was right; I was planning on marrying my high school girlfriend. I was planning on getting into a kick ass school on scholarship, marrying Josie and getting signed a few months before I graduated to a major team, preferably the Minnesota Wilds or the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.  
  
I did plan on living in a perfect little house with perfect white shutters and a white picket fence. I was planning on having a family with 2.25 children who played hockey, and a little dog. So why were my dreams smashed, like a glass toppling towards the ground?  
  
I was planning on becoming my father's perfect son.  
  
"Banks are you ok?"  
  
I looked up to Guy who was sitting in front of me snapping his fingers wildly in front of my eyes.  
  
"Ok, I may be stealing Dwayne's catch phrase here, but since he's not here at the moment; I don't get it. . ." Averman murmured quietly looking around the room at the rest of the guys, avoiding my eyes like the plague.  
  
"I read her diary." I whispered my eyes intently watching a discoloration in the hard wood floor.  
  
Fulton punched my shoulder, hard mind you and I yelped in surprise. "What the hell did you do that for?!" He replied more disappointed than pissed off.  
  
I looked at him and shook my head. I needed to get out of here. I grabbed my lettermen's jacket that had made its way onto my bedpost and slipped it on and stomped my way out of the room. As I raced down the stairs I realized I made a huge mistake. It still smelt like her. Like the vanilla body mist she used. I wiped my eyes on the sleeve and pulled it tight around me as I rushed through the courtyard and toward the bus stop.  
  
I was running to the only place where I felt safe, with no real memories of us.  
  
~  
  
Sunday Morning – No Doubt  
  
Sappy pathetic little me  
  
That was the girl I used to be  
  
You had me on my knees  
  
I'd trade you places any day  
  
I'd never thought you could be that way  
  
But you looked like me on Sunday  
  
You came in with the breeze  
  
On Sunday morning  
  
You sure had changed since yesterday  
  
Without any warning  
  
I thought I knew you  
  
I thought I knew you  
  
I thought I knew you well...so well  
  
You're trying my shoes on for a change  
  
They look so good but fit so strange  
  
Out of fashion, so I can complain  
  
You came in with the breeze  
On Sunday morning  
You sure have changed since yesterday  
Without any warning  
I thought I knew you  
I thought I knew you  
I thought I knew you well... so well  
  
I know who I am, but who are you?  
  
You're not looking like you used to  
  
You're on the other side of the mirror  
  
So nothing's looking quite as clear  
  
Thank you for turning on the light  
  
Thank you, now you're the parasite  
  
I didn't think you had it in you  
  
And now you're looking like I used to!  
  
You came in with the breeze  
  
On Sunday morning  
  
You sure have changed since yesterday  
  
Without any warning  
  
And you want me badly  
  
You cannot have me  
  
I thought I knew you  
  
But I've got a new view  
  
I thought I knew you well...oh well  
  
~  
  
*  
  
~  
  
*  
  
~  
  
A/N: Yeah, this chapter I've had in my head since . . . *counts back chapters* before the end of Don't Speak which it a really really long time for me. It bugs me when I have too many ideas floating around in my head and believe me, I have tons. I have at least 2 song fics, about 2 long term stories and random scenes for this story. I've actually had to retire my No Doubt CDs (on Beaner's advice) because I'm getting too off topic! I swear, I start talking to someone about this story and then I start rambling about another one that's in my head. Actually right now I'm developing an OC for a story I haven't even written down. I don't even have a name for him. I barely have a plot! I just have like three lines! See I'm off topic now. Ok I better start my shout outs!  
  
Shout outs!  
  
Beaner- Omigod! Do you mind if I use that in this story in the future? 'Brevity is the sound of wit. . .' I like it. It sounds like something Averman would say. Can I please? Please? Please, please! *bounces* Please!!!! Yeah I love that line. It was so simple and my friends tell me that all the time and it just cracks me up! Oh yeah, I checked. Yale does have a hockey team. As does Brown and Harvard. Yale's colors are blue and white (like the card) and their mascot is the Bulldog, which I believe they call Elis *nods*. I don't like being wrong so I usually do my homework, especially on little things like that, that I can easily check. They also have a women's team. Katie! *tuts tongue* You missed the important part! The foreshadowing! 'Where did that stupid disk go?' Or did you? *shrugs* Oh well. Yeah Guy and Adam would have a strong bond but I still think Charlie and Adam would have a stronger bond. Hey, you were listening to Queen; I was listening to No Doubt! *weeps* I know. I'm like a junkie begging for crack! *sighs* Maybe you should 'Save me!' from myself. . . and my inspiration. *screams* the inspiration gnomes are coming to get me!!!  
  
Ashcake- Hey! Sewing? Again? Do you like sewing or something? I tried sewing once! I ended up bleeding. Hmmm . . . maybe I should stick to writing. I think I've found the thing I'm good at. Go you!! I'm glad you caught up to us! *laughs* It's not as bad as Joc . . . she had like thirty some-odd chapters to read and gave up when she had like twenty more to go. *laughs* that was Don't Speak. I felt so bad. Tell me about it. I wouldn't mind wearing any of the Duck's letterman's jackets! *grins* I'm glad you like it! Later!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Wow. You have some anger problems girlie. *giggles* Just kidding! Well If I'm Little Miss. . . all that in your review, you're Little Miss Rush-the-author-into-posting-so-maybe-next-time-she-will-wait-a- week-until-the-next-time-she-posts. So Ha! Just Kidding! I wouldn't do that to you! Charlie was in a video about calcium? Wow. I would've thought after 3 ducks movies and a couple seasons of Dawson's Creek and other movies he would be set for life. *laughs* It must've been when he was a kid or something right? I'm glad you liked my last chapter. Oh I've read a British magazine in my dentist office. I wasn't sure why they had them but whatever. By the way, snog means kiss. Just for your records.  
  
OreoLine00-You were close! I guess I don't have to explain it all to you seeing you read the chapter right? Oh I'm constantly asking questions when I'm nervous or excited. I added myself into Guy and Adam for that tiny scene. Actually that chapter was fairly normal. I think the chapter before it was just extra long. You're shoes sound amazing! Mine are red! I love them! Everyone else has like white or black shoes and I'm like RED! Look at me! *coughs* anyways. I can't wait to read your Duck story and I read your HP story (I'm a HP junkie. . . I admit it. . .) and it's really good. Please post and I will review it! *begs* Please!  
  
Emily- You're DuckHockey right? I can't remember. You like changed you're screen name right? I love making Averman have funny lines! It's amazing. Oh my family thinks I'm nuts too. But that's because I have a 50 chapter story on the Ducks, but they don't know that. I hope you like this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you have to say!! Later!!  
  
Rach- Were you expecting this? It's nice to hear a simple good job sometimes. Thanks for brightening my day. Did this chapter live up? I hope so I've been thinking about it for months! Hey, it's ok that Charlie was on your nerves. He gets on my nerves too, but that's the point (hello tension?). He's getting on Adam's nerves too! Yuppers Yale. I did a tiny amount of research for that! *laughs* I was excited. I wanted to be politically correct. Yeah I'm being constantly told that I'm weird so I'm like Go Charlie! You tell Adam! I'm hope I cheered you up a little and I hope you like this chapter! *crosses fingers, toes and eyes* . . . *Uncrosses eyes and fingers* It's too hard to type like that. I can't wait until your next review! Later!  
  
REVIEW!!  
  
~Toodles  
  
KatieGirl 


	10. A mess in more than one sense

I wrapped my arms tightly around my knees and suddenly wished was wearing more than a polo T-shirt and my light jacket. It was fine around campus where I could just run in and out of building as I pleased; but here, there was no protection for the bitter icy cold that whisked around me like a cyclonic storm. I was so alone. The burning tears that slid down my cheek were the only source of heat, and even they seemed to freeze after a few seconds.  
  
"Banks? What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
I opened my eyes and looked up the hill from where I was sitting through blurry eyes. I wiped away the tears that stained my face with my sleeve. I didn't even have to ask who it was. I just knew. I tucked my chin into the collar of my jacket. Just because I knew who it was, I didn't want him to know everything.  
  
The tall boy slid down the hill and stopped a few feet away from me. He walked toward me at a steady pace; his shoes crunching in the crisp snow that had fallen a few weeks ago but had yet to melt, creating a smooth calming rhythm. He knelt down beside me, his gloved hands on his knees. I could feel his eyes moving over my body nervously and his breathing seemed to get more and more panicked. "Adam, did something happen? Is it your parents? Is it Jay? Did something happen to the Ducks?" His last question was slightly quieter as if it would disturb my natural state of mind. "Is it you?"  
  
A tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away hastily shaking my head, dismissing his pessimistic thoughts and worries. "No, my family is fine." I chuckled softly. "They don't even know I'm in town actually and they Ducks are probably worried about me, but their fine and physically I'm perfect."  
  
I rubbed my eye and looked up at Ryan as his face became clearer as my tears subsided. His soft features were etched with worry as he watched me. His deep brown eyes moved erratically in a slight panic of not knowing what to do. I didn't like that. I didn't like knowing that I was worrying and causing yet another person pain. He licked his chapped lips as he chose his words carefully. "But you're not fine."  
  
"If I were fine, why would I come here after McGill told me to never come back to this place ever again . . . twice?" I sniffed, letting out a half laugh that was completely fake. I looked around. This place always seemed to stay the same despite how much I, or the people around me, changed. The little river kept flowing in the same direction; always moving at the same brisk pace. It was a constant. It was safe.  
  
He blinked. "I don't know Banks. Why would you come here?"  
  
I looked up at my old team mate and gave him a half-hearted smirk. "I like it here Larson."  
  
"Do you want to tell me what happened or do I have to guess?" He asked standing up pushing up on his knees and holding out his leather gloved hand to help me get off the ground.  
  
I shook my head and pulled my knees tighter to my chest, much like the way I did when I was little after my father finished ranting at my brother. He always scared me. I would sit alone, under my desk clutching my jersey tight in two little fists while he raved about a coach, or a teammate or a parent from my hockey team. He could always find faults in someone.  
  
Larson pulled his black winter coat tighter making the little cross and sword emblem on over his heart more noticeable. I wasn't sure why I noticed it, but I did. "Adam, you're going to freeze."  
  
I swallowed. "I'm a hockey player. I'll deal. I just want to sit here." By the way here, was leaning against a tree staring at an icy river, sitting in the snow while it melted through my jeans. Now that I was 'here' I wasn't sure why I came here. I had a past here that I wanted to forget, I had one memory that basically haunted my dreams and her memory lurked all around here.  
  
He rolled his eyes and held out his head to haul me off the ground. "Come on Banks. Get up and I'll drive you home."  
  
I scoffed at him. "Oh yes. Go home where my father can chew me out about something or sit here in the cold." I looked up at him with utmost seriousness. "I'm staying."  
  
"Fine." He replied. "Then you come home with me. My mom always liked you better and my sisters have been asking about you since your New Year's Eve party." He stopped and smirked. "But I guess you don't really have time to notice those things, seeing you're usually thinking about that girlfriend of yours." He laughed.  
  
I groaned inwardly. Damn it. I forgot that Ryan knew Josie and liked her too. "I'm fine here thanks." I replied stubbornly. "You can go."  
  
The smirk her wore was wiped off his face and replaced with a stubborn frown. "Get up. You're either going home or coming with me. Your choice."  
  
"I guess I haven't talked to you since New Years." I sighed completely defeated. "Coming." I grumbled as I took his out stretched hand and wiped off the snow that was clinging to my jeans.  
  
He nodded and began walking up the hill with me in tow. "Good because if I walk in with you, my parents won't flip when they find out I failed my last geometry test."  
  
~*~  
  
I walked into Ryan's house uneasily. I hadn't actually been inside his house since I was ten and the odd thing was that it had barely changed. New pieces of furniture and a new color scheme, but other than that it was welcoming and happy. The walls were decorated with pictures of him and his sisters from hockey, gymnastics and school.  
  
"Ryan? Is that you?" His mother yelled from a separate room rather frazzled. A whizzing noise and splattering echoed through the rooms. "Ryan! Help!!"  
  
Ryan and I exchanged looks and rushed into the kitchen after tossing our coats to the floor.  
  
"Mom!" Ryan yelled over the noise of an electric mixture. The room was a complete mess with flour and egg smeared across the wooden cupboards dripping onto the tile floors. Ryan pulled the cord from the wall and shook his head and walked over to the other side of the counter helping his mother up from the floor.  
  
Ryan's mother was completely beautiful in a motherly sort of way. My mother was the cliché 50's mother who in actuality didn't do anything. Ryan's mother was the worn out soccer mom who drove carpool and made homemade balanced lunches packing in special notes and would sit down and read a math textbook for over two hours to help her kids with homework that would only take fifteen minutes.  
  
However, his mom had one quirk about her. When it came to cooking; she was completely klutzy.  
  
Ryan laughed and dusted her shoulders off which were caked with flour. "Mom, what were you doing?"  
  
"Baking cookies." She sighed shaking her head. "I was doing so well too!" She laughed and dusted off her nose only putting more flour on it. Her eyes locked on me. "My, my, Adam Banks!" She opened her arms to give me a hug but blushed. "Don't touch me, I'm a complete mess."  
  
I smiled. "Hi Mrs. Larson." She hadn't changed a bit.  
  
Her eyes widened. "Mrs. Larson? In all the time I've known you, you've never called me Mrs. Larson." She shook her head. "My you've grown." She said breathless. "It's been quite a while."  
  
I nodded and looked over at Ryan who was beginning to clean up the mess. "Too long."  
  
She nodded and looked over at the clock behind me and gasped. "Oh! Is that the time?" She yelped dusting off her arms and groaning. "I've got to go pick up Samantha and Lily from gymnastics." She looked over at Ryan pleadingly. "Ryan, sweetie, could you clean up this mess? You're father is coming home tonight and I don't want it to look like a disaster area. Please?"  
  
Ryan nodded with a little smile. "No problem."  
  
His mom broke out in a smile. "Thank you so much, you're my lifesaver." She laughed and eyed him. "But don't think you're off the hook. I know about that test of yours."  
  
Ryan groaned. "But mom!"  
  
She shook her head. "No but mom's. I am not a 'but mom'. We'll talk after dinner." She looked over at me. "It's nice seeing you again Adam. You're welcome here anytime." She made a panicked face. "Oh dear, I've got to change." She rushed out of the kitchen past me leaving a trail of flour.  
  
I snorted. "Your mom hasn't changed." I laughed grabbing the broom that was leaning against the door frame and began to sweep the flour off the floor.  
  
Ryan shook his head. "I swear every time I tell her I'm coming home for the weekend she tries to bake something and I end up cleaning up the mess. Either that or trying to choke down a rock hard muffin or spicy cinnamon rolls or something." He laughed filling up the sink with warm water.  
  
I grimaced. "Spicy cinnamon rolls?"  
  
"My mom mixed up Cayenne pepper and cinnamon. It was so bad because my mom thought we were just kidding her. She took a bite, ran to the washroom and came out crying and laughing. They burned your throat." He laughed throwing a couple bowls into the bubbly sink.  
  
"Remember the time your mom made cookies for the Hawks banquet the year before I left?" I smirked. "And McGill took a bite and made his front tooth loose?"  
  
Larson burst out laughing. "And he lost the tooth a day later and when everyone asked him what happened he said he took a puck to the mouth." He shook his head. "Of course I remember. McGill wouldn't talk to me for a month!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "It didn't help with you throwing cookies at him at lunch!"  
  
Ryan shrugged with a smirk and began to scrub one of the dishes as our laughs subsided.  
  
I blinked. "This is weird isn't it?" I asked nervously.  
  
He looked over his shoulder and me and nodded. "Just a little." He whispered. "I don't know what you like anymore. I don't even know who you are anymore."  
  
I nodded. "It sucks that we lost almost six years of being friends, especially after being best friends since we basically in diapers." I exhaled.  
  
He nodded. "Well we could start again."  
  
"I think we already have." I smiled weakly.  
  
Ryan turned back to the sink and I grabbed a dish towel off the counter and began drying the dishes in silence.  
  
I put down a spoon and chewed on my lip. "So what do we start talking about?"  
  
"How about we start with why you were down at Hawk Creek." Ryan suggested. I opened my mouth to object but he continued. "We may not have been friends for a while, but I know that you wouldn't just go down there because it's pretty."  
  
I sighed. I guess we still knew each other pretty well. "Josie broke up with me." I explained.  
  
He looked over at me completely shocked. "That pretty girl who came up with the idea of tying me to a tree to stop McGill from beating you up?"  
  
I nodded. "The one and only."  
  
He mouthed a wow and handed me a bowl. "What happened?"  
  
I groaned. Oh God. Not this again. "Can we just leave it at 'it was my fault' and drop it?" I sighed. "I don't want to think about it because I begin to think I'm a huge jerk."  
  
Ryan shook his head. "You aren't a jerk. You're a teenage guy. We do dumb things." He explained. "Some guys are just really good at hiding it."  
  
I nodded. "Thanks."  
  
"No prob." He looked over at me and shrugged. "You need cheering up or something, so how about we finish cleaning this up and you tell me what it was like going to the Junior Goodwill Games."  
  
I jerked my head toward him. "You saw me at the Goodwill Games?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah! I taped every single one of the games. I clipped out every article about you guys! I mean how many times can a guy say that he played against the gold medalist team in hockey and was this close to beating them?" He smirked bringing his soapy fingers up to his face strengthening his point. He scoffed. "And we would've beaten you if McGill didn't trip Charlie."  
  
I smirked. "Glad to hear that you've learned his first name."  
  
Larson shrugged. "It's kind of hard calling him a scrub when he went to the Goodwill Games and is going to an awesome school with a kick ass team."  
  
"You never called them scrubs. That was McGill."  
  
Larson shrugged. "So I was just as bad as him. I didn't stop him. I was like a freaking sheep. I did everything that he told me to do. I stayed in line and didn't ask questions and he was like that with Coach Reilly." His shoulders slumped. "If I could I'd take everything back."  
  
"You could always say that your sorry." I replied back. "I could make sure that the Ducks listen to you. I mean they forgave me."  
  
Larson rolled his eyes. "It's kind of late. I could picture it now. 'Hey Ducks, I'm sorry for saying that your mom was a slut when we were in the 5th grade, and I'm sorry that I've made your life a living hell until high school'." He shook his head. "They would pummel me with hockey pucks."  
  
I shrugged. "Better late then never." I smiled. "Besides, half of them you don't even know."  
  
Ryan nodded. "Maybe. Let me think about it."  
  
I bit my lip. "Where's your dad? I thought he worked at home or something." I always liked Ryan's dad. He was interested in hockey, but he never pressured Ryan into playing. He would always allow Ryan to come to his own conclusions about things and would gently suggest things to Ryan and let Ryan decided if he wanted to do it.  
  
Ryan shrugged. "He's working for some big company now. He sold that one design he was working on before you left for the Ducks to some big shot and now he travels, pitching it and presenting it to the branch plants." He sighed. "He comes home every other week, but he's usually traveling."  
  
I blinked. "Oh, I didn't know."  
  
"It's not a bad thing or anything." Ryan explained trying to sound happy about it. "It kind of stresses out my mom and sure it sucks that he isn't around but when he's home it's cool and during the summer we sometimes go with him. Like we've gone to Mexico and we've gone to Europe. It's not so bad."  
  
I nodded. I could tell he was miserable. Ryan always was the type to hide the fact he was upset or comfortable for good of the group.  
  
He smiled. "And he said that he's going to try and get time off so we can see the Stanley Cup game together because the last couple times he's been out of town and we watched it together over the phone." He looked down at the sink and pulled the drain. He looked over at me. "And he promised that if my team does really good in the season and it like really close to the state championship he'll definitely take time off, so you better watch your back Banks." He laughed flicking his wet fingers at me spraying my face with soapy water.  
  
My jaw dropped as I wiped my face off with my hand. "Oh your dead Larson!" I laughed twisting the towel and whipping it at him. "Prepare to die!"  
  
He yelped and laughed, jumping over the counter to the other side. "Hey! No fair! I'm unarmed!"  
  
I grabbed a towel and threw it in his face. "Prepare to taste my wrath!" I yelled.  
  
"You're going down Duck boy!" He smirked getting ready.  
  
~*~  
  
"Ryan! I'm home!"  
  
Ryan and I exchanged glances and got up, rushing towards the front door. Knowing Mrs. L, she bought dinner.  
  
"Burgers. . ." Ryan sighed sniffing the air.  
  
I laughed. "Ten bucks it's pizza." It was just like when we were ten . . . except we were fifteen, in high school and not planning the demise of the District 5 hockey team. . .  
  
"You're both wrong!" His mother yelled from the hall as we rounded the corner. "Chinese." She shook her head. "You two are still really bad at that."  
  
"Where are Sam and Lil?" Ryan asked looking around. "I don't hear anything breaking. . ."  
  
Mrs. L made a quick face. "Be nice to your sisters Ryan. They went upstairs to change." She bit her lip. "And it does worry me that I haven't heard any noises-"  
  
A pair of high pitched screams and a crash followed by tinkling broke the quietness of the house.  
  
"-yet." Mrs. L sighed. "That sounded expensive."  
  
Ryan shook his head. "Adam and I will go investigate; you set the table and don't try to heat anything up."  
  
"I am not that bad at cooking!" His mother replied defensively.  
  
"Yes, yes you are." Ryan replied jokingly. "But don't worry, I love you that way."  
  
His mother rolled her eyes. "I'm glad you do." She focused on me quickly. "I didn't know what you like now, so I just bought what you liked when you were ten." She blushed. "If that ok?"  
  
I nodded. "It's great." I gave her a thousand watt smile as I climbed the stairs behind Ryan.  
  
"Samantha Anne and Lillian Cecilia get out here right now!" Ryan howled as he reached the top of the stairs. I shivered. I guess with his dad traveling all the time Ry had to become their father figure.  
  
Two girls rushed into the hall in a flash biting their lips nervously; guilt flashing behind their eyes.  
  
It took a second for me to recognize them but everything flooded back to me. The older one was Sammie or Sam. She had dark brown hair that was cut short and dark brown eyes. Sam when I last saw her was four; the little girl that was constantly following McGill, Larson and I. The little gymnast that was trying to convince her mother to allow her to play hockey. Now, she had morphed into a nine year old that was slowly getting too old to be ordered around by her older brother.  
  
The second was still a little girl her bright blue eyes flashing with adrenaline. That was Lillian; little Lily. She had a lump of golden curls that resembled her mother's hair. In years to come, she would be quite the heartbreaker. Last I had seen her she was two, and now she looked like the perfect little seven year old girl, with a mischievous streak. They were complete opposites.  
  
Ryan looked down at the two girls accusingly. "What did you two break?"  
  
Both girls shook their heads. "Nothing!" They echoed each other shooting each other glares, probably threatening each other not to talk.  
  
I smirked. It was too funny watching them. I tried to make my smile into a frown, but it was impossible.  
  
"Ok, I'll give you until the count of three to tell me what you broke." Ryan sighed. "If you don't tell me, I'll look for it and I've been living in this house longer than both of you put together, I know all the hiding spots. If I have to look, you're going to have to deal with Dad when he comes home."  
  
I snorted into my fist. This was too funny. Ryan was such an easy going guy. It was so not like him.  
  
"One. . ."  
  
The girls exchanged looks and bit their lips nervously.  
  
"Two. . ."  
  
They both eyed Ryan wondering whether or not her were serious or not.  
  
"Thr-"  
  
"It was Sam!" Lily yelped. "She was playing with one of your hockey sticks and knocked a picture off your wall!"  
  
Sam's eyes shot to Lily. "You little two-timing fink!" She looked over at Ryan. "She dared me prove that I could do a slap shot!"  
  
"But I didn't tell you to knock a picture off the wall!" Lily yelped back and turned to Ryan. "It was all her!"  
  
Ryan pushed past both of them rushing toward his room and sighed. "Damn it!" His voice echoed through the halls.  
  
Both girls gasped. "Ryan said a bad word." They hissed to each other.  
  
I shook my head and walked between them and walked to his room.  
  
He groaned. "They had to hit the picture of us at hockey camp." He grumbled pulling at the picture getting the glass off of it.  
  
I took the picture out of his hands and smiled down at it.  
  
***  
  
"We're going to be awesome this season."  
  
I looked up from taping my hockey stick and smiled at McGill who was lounging at the top of my bed while I sat at the foot. I nodded silently. Dan always was the louder more boastful one of us three.  
  
"Those District 5 kids are going to wish their mother's never got knocked up by the mailman." He continued his rant.  
  
Larson sighed from his bed which was parallel to mine. "Dan, stop it." He whispered, running his finger over the blade of his skate checking to see if they needed sharpening. They probably did.  
  
"We're going to knock 'em dead." McGill replied completely ignoring Ryan, as usual. "Or at least Banks and I will."  
  
"Dan, you could at least talk give them a chance to defend themselves." I replied. "Besides, you're boring when you rant about them. Can we just focus on hockey?"  
  
McGill rolled his eyes. "Man, it sucks that I'm on a different team at this stupid camp. Their breaking up the best thing the Hawks have ever come across, since Jay and my brother. Don't these stupid people know anything?"  
  
Larson shrugged. "It'll be over in 2 days."  
  
McGill grumbled. "Don't remind me. Stupid school. I can't believe the summer is almost over."  
  
"Yeah, but it means the hockey season is right around the corner." I smiled. I loved the winter for that reason and I loved the summer because I got to go away from my dad for three weeks and go to a hockey camp with McGill and Larson.  
  
McGill smiled. "Nothing is going to split up us three."  
  
I looked up and locked eyes with Larson and turned toward McGill who grinned widely.  
  
Someone whipped open the doors. "Pictures!"  
  
***  
  
Larson looked over my shoulder. "That was a good summer."  
  
I nodded. "Our last summer."  
  
Ryan took the picture from my hands and flipped it over. He looked over at me licked his lips as he frowned.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
I showed me the back. In McGill's writing a single word was scrawled across the back.  
  
"Forever."  
  
Ryan blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Weird."  
  
I nodded. "Kind of ironic."  
  
Ryan agreed. "Just a little."  
  
We stood in silence for a few seconds looking down at the image of our child selves. What ever happened to that?  
  
Ryan frowned some more and sniffed the air. "Adam, is it me, or does my house smell like burning?"  
  
I sniffed lightly and bit my lip. "Yes Ryan, your house does smell like burning."  
  
Suddenly the fire detectors went off, shattering the silence.  
  
"Ryan!!!!"  
  
~  
  
*  
  
~  
  
*  
  
~ A/N: Ok, I have no comments about this chapter. I'm not sure why, I just don't. Uh. . . Ok I'll think of something. Um . . . ok, I am going to add onto the Larson-Banks friendship thing, and Larson's family is going to be a plot thing in here too so . . . watch out ok? Ok Shout outs!  
  
Beaner- I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Yeah I was worried that you missed that! Ok, well, it was really crappy foreshadowing (and kind of obvious) but whatever. I couldn't figure out how to end that chapter. lol! I guess I have to ask Shakespeare if I can use that line then . . . too bad he's dead. Do you think he has any relatives to speak of? Do you think their listed? lmao! Yeah. Kind of ironic though. I wrote a basically wrote a whole story about how they got together and such, and it took less then ten chapters to break them up. I'm a walking irony. I've been thinking sad stories lately. I'm so evil. Yeah I know I have been listening to No Doubt. I should stop, but I'm only listening to the songs that inspire me for THIS story which are . . . *finds CD* Bathwater (tee hee), Sunday Morning, Ex- girlfriend and Simple Kind of Life. If I listen to anything else, I get inspired to write another story. I have to be careful. Yeah, the inspiration gnomes are lurking. I've got Adam Charlie and Fulton on duty outside of my computer room with hockey sticks to fend them off. I'll be ok. 3 hockey players against hundreds of inspiration gnomes. I think I should be ok for now. Later!  
  
Rach- Hey you! Ok, my first line, I came up with that in my careers class. Ok, in my careers class there is like a few separate groups of guys and then one huge group of girls. The problem- I hate with a passion every single one of them. HATE. And I'm pretty sure they hate me. So I sit with my friend's brother's friends (didja get that?). While I'm there, I pick their brains without them knowing it. The awesome thing is in the group I have the perfect group. I have a jock. I have a joker. I have a completely random guy. A serious guy and a guy who is fairly quiet. So basically I mix parts of these guys and I get a Duck! Its amazing! I always thought Charlie was a little crazy but that's ok. Ok, last chapter was a little dramatic, but I'm a dramatic person *does dramatic pose*. lol! I'm also a crazy person! Thanks so much for the compliments and I'll tone down the drama just a tad. Ok? Later!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey you! *puts hand over heart* I promise not to become Little Miss. Waits-for-an-entire-week-to-post-to-annoy-her-reviewers, unless I become a) really sick b) go on a vacation (*snorts* as if that'll happen) or c) my computer like craps out on me. *blinks* However I might be going to Guelph on a school trip which is like an overnight thing, so it might happen. I would inform you guys though. I wouldn't just leave you hanging. That's mean. Yeah, they broke up. It's sad. *blinks* Ok. Don't hurt me. *cowers* Please don't. Keep reading ok? Ohhh!! That quote is amazing! I love it! Yup the little black disk (just as inside info) was in the jacket of Adam's coat and Josie found it and popped it into her computer thinking that Adam left it in there for her. Yup. It was nothing but trouble. But Adam did get it from Will so . . . what did he expect? A bunny screensaver? I wrote I wrote! I actually wrote a really long chapter! Ok! Later!  
  
OreoLine00- My shoes are red 'No Surrender's I think. I'd have to check, but that's all the way upstairs and I don't want to go do that. I love them. I also have big black boots, but they hurt my feet after a while. My sneakers are so much better! *stops and blinks* Ok, I swear this conversation was about the Ducks a while ago. *shakes head* Anyways. Thanks! I've been waiting forever to post that chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it.  
  
Emily Henson- So it makes sense. When you marry Garette you better invite me to the wedding! lol! You'll have to keep reading to find out if Adam will be ok! If I told you I'd give away my story! Yeah Adam was a little silly. I would be a little angry that my boyfriend read my diary. However my diary is really stupid. It doesn't really mean anything. Actually I stopped using my diary. *laughs* I started writing fan fictions instead to take out my stress and anger! So in a way, this IS my diary. Oh, my classmates think I'm weird. I carry around my Duck notebook to all my classes. After my science test on Friday I wrote most of this chapter. The guy in front of me turned around after we handed it in and was like 'Did you get number. . . What are you writing Katie?' I like yelped and grabbed my notebook and hugged it. I don't like my friend's reading my writing. *looks down* I'm afraid they'll hate it or something. I'm insecure. I know. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you like this one! Later!  
  
OK that's it!  
  
REVIEW  
  
~Toodles!  
  
KatieGirl! 


	11. Unclear

"Banks, I'm not so sure about this. . ." Ryan replied looking over his shoulder and biting his lip. "Why don't I stay out here and you can go in and get your blades."  
  
I shook my head. "No, I'm not leaving you out here." I replied frustrated grabbing onto the shoulder of his jacket and dragging him behind me. "Besides you have a bigger chance of bumping into one of the Ducks out here than you do inside the dorms. You're safe, you're with me." I pulled him up the stairs towards the second floor.  
  
Ryan looked around nervously as we got to the hall and started going down it. "I swear to God Adam, if I walk out of here with a broken nose I'm never listening to you again."  
  
I smirked and shook my head as we reached my door. "Look, we're here." I poked his nose. "And look, it's not broken." I turned back to the door and tried to open it. "Shit. Locked." I cursed and dug through my jacket pockets. "Shit and my key is inside." I knocked on the door and there was no answer.  
  
"Oh that's too bad, come on let's go!" Ryan replied grabbing at the back of my collar and jerking me backwards.  
  
I coughed once and rubbed my neck. "Larson! Don't be a baby! It's a Sunday night, which usually means movie night in Charlie or the Bash Bros dorm. My roommate will be in there." I walked across the hall casually and knocked on Charlie's door.  
  
Ryan bounced from foot to foot uneasily. "Adam. . ."  
  
Charlie's door whipped open and Charlie stood grinning but was soon wiped off as he realized it was me. "Banksie! Hey you ok?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah I need to grab my blades, is Averman in there?"  
  
Charlie nodded. "Yeah he's in here, but what do you need your blades for? Curfew is in an hour."  
  
"Oh, Ryan and I are just going to skate around the courtyard for a while." I shrugged.  
  
Charlie frowned. "Who's Ryan?"  
  
"Ry, come here!" I called to him. I rolled my eyes. "For God sake Larson, I can see you trying to sneak down the stairs!" I yelled at him as he opened the door to go downstairs.  
  
"Larson? As in the Hawk?" Charlie replied rather confused.  
  
I nodded. "As in one of my best friends." I shrugged. "And actually he's a Knight now. Anyways I need Averman. I forgot my key and I need my blades."  
  
Charlie grabbed onto my arm and yanked me into his room leaving Larson out in the hallway, slamming the door in his face. "Josie breaks up with you and you go visit a guy who completely deserted out after you switched teams?"  
  
My jaw dropped. "You're one to talk Charlie!" I spat at him and looked around the room at some of the Ducks who looked a little shocked. I took a breath. "Charlie I don't want to argue with you right now. I've had a rough day."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Well let me clear some time when you aren't so busy." His eyes flashed as I frowned at him. "Just tell me why the hell he's here."  
  
I licked my lips and looked past him at Averman who was sitting on the floor beside Goldberg. "Averman, key." I order of him.  
  
Averman immediately shook his head. "Sorry Banks, but I want to hear this. I want to know why you're getting chummy with the enemy."  
  
"I'm not getting 'chummy' with the enemy, because there is no enemy!" I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Look. I'm just catching up with an old friend."  
  
"Who used to be a Hawk?!" Charlie burst at me stepping between me and Averman. It was obvious he wanted to win this.  
  
"I used to be a Hawk!" I yelled back at him.  
  
Guy, who had been silent for the last while, cuddled up with Connie, finally contributed. "Yeah, but you're different."  
  
I looked at him in awe. "I'm no different than him!" I replied back, raising my voice and looking everyone in the eye. "Had you gotten Larson back in pee-wees instead of me, I could almost guarantee you that he would be in here talking to you and I would be out there wondering what the hell you were saying about me."  
  
"Banks, that isn't true." Charlie replied softly.  
  
I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't lie to me Charlie. I know it's true." I replied to him quickly. "You want proof? When you first found out that you were getting me on your team, what did you say?" As I gazed around the room the eyes of the original Ducks were lowered to the ground. "Exactly. You made assumptions about me, just like how the Hawks made assumptions about you." I turned and looked back at the door and pointed at it. "And you've made assumptions about him!"  
  
Charlie ridded any guilt that washed over his face. "And why shouldn't we? What has he done to prove us wrong?" Echoes of yeah, agreed with Charlie.  
  
I shrugged. "What does it matter Charlie? You wouldn't have noticed! You've closed your eyes to it. You only see what you want to see." I shook my head and sighed knowing no one in this room was going to budge. "Screw it. You don't care. I'm leaving. Later." I gave them a quick dismissive wave and opened the door, slamming it behind me as I stepped into the hallway.  
  
"Hey."  
  
I jumped and looked beside me. Ryan had taken a place leaning against the wall beside Charlie's door, waiting for me patiently. His calm green eyes looked up at me nervously.  
  
"Hi." I replied hotly, trying to calm myself. Sometimes Charlie could get me so mad.  
  
He frowned. "Sorry. I didn't want to make you and your friends fight." He apologized quietly looking down at his hands that were folded in his lap.  
  
I shook my head at him. "Fight?" I replied trying to seem oblivious. "What makes you think we were fighting?"  
  
He looked up at me knowingly. "I could hear you yelling through the door." He rolled his eyes and looked across the hall.  
  
"You know, eavesdropping is a very nasty habit." I laughed smirking.  
  
Ryan bowed his head at that. "Look Adam, I can tell that the Ducks really care about you. I get that. And I don't want to create a rift between them and you because they're your team and-"  
  
I shook my head vigorously. "Dude. Stop." I laughed. "You're my friend and I'm not going to just stop being friends with you because my hockey team doesn't like it. That's completely stupid."  
  
He looked up at me with guilty eyes and sighed. "Thanks Adam." I knew he still felt bad about it.  
  
I rolled my eyes and held out my hand waiting for him to grab on so I could pull him off the floor. "No prob." I smirked at him as I threw an arm over his shoulder and walked down the hall so he could get back to his dorm.  
  
"So much for rollerblading." He laughed trying to lighten up the mood.  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, maybe next time." I looked over at him. "Say what are you doing next weekend?"  
  
He laughed and shook his head as we began to walk down the stairs. "Nothing yet."  
  
~*~  
  
I looked around anxiously around me trying to take in my surroundings but I couldn't see anything through the night. The only thing that lit the area was a street light. I recognized this streetlight. I was home. Why was I home? I spun around a couple times and looked up at my house. It was dark and not even a single light was on inside or out. So cold. So unwelcoming.  
  
I turned my back to my house and blinked at a figure who, stood across the street. "Josie?" I asked quietly into the night. "Josie, what are you doing here?"  
  
She walked into the light and stared at me rather befuddled. "The question is what are you doing here?"  
  
I blinked. This was getting confusing. "This is my home."  
  
"Not anymore. You changed."  
  
I shook my head. "You mean I moved?"  
  
She shrugged blinking calmly. "You changed." She repeated.  
  
"Then were do I live?" I asked looking around. I couldn't see anywhere else, besides, why would I move?  
  
She shrugged once more and pointed out into the darkness. "Out there."  
  
I frowned. "Out where?" Why were we just repeating what the other was saying?  
  
She clutched her coat tight to her and looked up to the sky watching the snow fall from the sky. "Beautiful." She murmured.  
  
I watched her in awe and couldn't help looking up too, staring at the light fluffy snow as it fell towards earth. "It is."  
  
Silence.  
  
I looked back down and looked around. She was gone. Without a goodbye. "Jose?"  
  
***  
  
I jumped and looked around taking a deep breath.  
  
"Stupid dream!" I grumbled. This was getting sad. My dreams were getting more and more abstract. It was bad enough having to deal with my reality, but my dream were just torturing me, rubbing salt into an already pain wound. Didn't my subconscious already know that I knew Josie left me? I'm not that dim!  
  
I sat up and threw my covers over my shoulders and swung my legs over the side of the bed and stared through the darkness at Averman's figure in a deep sleep. His chest rose and fell in a calm, steady rhythm. He was lucky. He didn't have to worry about secrets, pressures, expectations. Sure he had his quirks. He bombed at math, but for some reason he understood physics. He didn't have a girlfriend, and he could rant about it for hours on end. But other than that, he was normal.  
  
In all honesty, there is no defined norm, but for some reason, I'm no where near it and I would do anything to be normal. At the moment Averman is the closest thing to normal and I would do anything to be him right now. To be sleeping soundlessly. Dreaming good dreams, filled with winning the Stanley Cup and getting the girl. I wouldn't wish my state right now on my worst enemy.  
  
Averman grunted in his sleep and rolled over so he was facing the wall. I sighed and tightened my grip on my covers and looked over at the clock. Three forty-seven am. What the hell was I doing up at three forty-seven in the morning.  
  
I laid my head back down on my pillow and closed my eyes knowing that sleep wasn't going to come easy to me. Averman once described me as a worried insomniac. He said it jokingly but now I know it's true.  
  
I was worried about her. I was worried about how she'll react in Math. I wondered where she'll sit at meals. I wondered if she'll look at me in the halls. I wondered what she was dreaming; if it was me; if it were Peter; or if she wasn't sleeping at all, merely awake in the sleeping hours, pondering; wondering; about me of course. What I would do, say, wouldn't do or wouldn't say.  
  
My eyes shot open.  
  
Morning would be soon and I would have to face her. What would I say?  
  
I'm sorry?  
  
No. It's classic, but it won't cut it.  
  
I love her?  
  
No. It's true, but too painful for her and me.  
  
I miss her?  
  
Again, the truth. It hasn't even been a day and I miss her. Her smile, her laugh, her kiss, but it's too simple.  
  
Maybe all three. They're all the truth, all too painful on their own, but maybe together they will save us.  
  
I closed my eyes and let my mental and physical fatigue take over my body allowing myself to drift off into sleep where her tears haunted my dreams.  
  
~*~  
  
I took a deep breath as I walked into my math class and looked around the room. Josie wasn't there yet. I quickly took my seat and looked around me where the older students chattered quietly as our teacher organized himself before starting the lesson.  
  
She was just getting her books. She probably forgot her calculator or something. It wasn't that big of a deal She'd come.  
  
The second bell tolled signaling the beginning of the period.  
  
I looked ahead where our teacher stood up and picked up a piece of pure white chalk from the ledge and began scrawling our questions from the night before on the board to take up and the sound of rustling papers and the conversations quieting down. I swallowed nervously as I opened my notebook and text.  
  
She was just a little late. She probably couldn't get her locker open. It did sometimes jam. She would be here in a few minutes. She'd come.  
  
"Any questions?" The teacher asked the class turning towards us with a smile, dusting his hands off on his pants leaving white chalk smudges, contrasting off his dark pants.  
  
I looked toward the door and saw no movement.  
  
Something clicked.  
  
She wasn't coming.  
  
~  
  
*  
  
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*  
  
~  
  
* A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry! It's been a while hasn't it? I've had a lot on my plate lately. It's coming to the middle of my semester at my school and everything is beginning to get hectic. For example, I have to work on my portfolio for my careers class, I have to start my ISU in French, we're just starting physics in science and my food and nutrition class... *rolls eyes* well it's just stressful because my teacher is a crack head. Anywho, let's start with the shout outs!!!  
  
Shout outs!  
  
Beaner- Oh, I love Larson. He's so much fun to write. *sighs* Yet another character that I get to add onto. I love doing that. Oh, and I promise I'll start working on Orion as soon as he becomes important again, which will probably be next chapter. Oh I love that movie! My friend plays baseball and she made me watch it. I fell in love with that movie. However Mighty Ducks is my first love, so don't worry. I won't go off and chase another fandom! This one has too much potential. Besides, this fandom has more characters for me to expand on! Like Larson! Yay Larson! *sighs* I was inspired again. I know! I know! I have to stop! But I just can't! However, it wasn't a No Doubt song! It was a Coors song. I think it's called Radio. *shrugs* Anyways I would be an Adam/Josie fic and... Ok, I'm getting off topic. I'll tell you what I was inspired to write over AOL later ok? Ok, Uhh... I'm not going to pick sides on who gets to marry Garette (shush! Don't tell Guy!), so I'll let you two duel it out ok? Ok Talk later!  
  
Rach- Hey you! Oh, well you can't like everyone. I don't hold it against them. As long as they stay out of my face, I'll stay out of theirs. Oh, Ryan is one of my favorites to write because of his wide range of possibilities. He could be so many things. I'm so glad you liked my introduction to the Ryan storyline! Oh don't worry about the whole shopping thing. I'm the same way! I'm such a girl! *squeals* lol! Yeah it's totally my favorite chapter. I'm so happy you liked last chapter and I hope you like this one!  
  
OreoLine00- Hey you! Oh definitely. Ducks are way more interesting than cool shoes. Sure I love my shoes, but I can love my Ducks way more. There is no point to a character if that character has no past. The past doesn't have to be laced with major angst and heartbreak, but it has to be there. A past is what makes a person what they are today. Besides, I'm a sucker for detail. I love it when something is described to me, and from the sounds of it, so are you. Go us!  
  
AshCake- Hey there! I'm glad you liked my last chapter! Tons of fun to write! Oh, yeah. My mailman line. *shakes head* I was inspired by D1. In fact I think it's time to watch it again. Then again, I can't really learn anything from D1. . . maybe I should move on. . . To D2! Woot! Go me! *giggles* Ok. Later! Hope you like this one!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey there! Oh, Guelph is a Canadian city with an awesome University in it. But other than that, it's no biggie. Doesn't have a hockey team. *laughs* Ok. I doubt that Adam thought there were bunny screensavers on that disk and seeing I'm the author I see no betrayals in the form of bunnies in the future. Sorry! Yeah I like to be different. *coughs* Rather I am different. *laughs* That's why I added Larson in there. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you like this one. Sorry it's been a while since I updated but I explained that above. Anyways. Later!  
  
Emily- I'm glad I'm invited to the wedding; however I have been informed you have competition. Oh my Adam/Larson friendship is going to be a fun storyline for me to write and I can't wait to start. I was convinced Larson was the nicer one too. You're a fan of happy endings aren't you? I'm a fan of being caught off guard so you'll be in for a lot of twists and turns, so get ready!  
  
Pyro44- Hey I think it's synonymous. Everyone loves the Larson/Adam friendship deal-y I made! That's cool! Yeah well, Adam may be super smart (and super hot) but he is human (well sorta) and he does make mistakes. And yeah it was stupid in the first place to read her diary. You'll have to read and find out if he's ever going to get things straight! OK? Later!  
  
OK! One more little Announcement! I wrote a song fic and it fits into this story. However, it is going to be separate from this. It's called Last Exit to Eden and I encourage you to read it! Please? I've been told it's really good. So please read it and review! Thanks!  
  
Review!  
  
~Toodles!  
  
KatieGirl! 


	12. Confrontations

Josie didn't come to math class on Tuesday or Wednesday either. She wasn't in the stands during Monday's hockey practice escaping the clutches of her 'haunted' room, and she wasn't in my dorm waiting for me while I was running on Tuesday and she didn't meet me after class to hang out on Wednesday when I didn't have practice. Instead Julie met me, and gave me back my jersey awkwardly and didn't even tell me if she Josie said anything. I would've given my right kidney to hear Julie say that Josie told her to tell me to fuck off. But she didn't.

Josie had been going to her other classes though. I had heard through the Ducks, Charlie mostly, that Josie had become almost mute in science class and I did see her in the halls once, but she was gone in a flash. I was almost certain she was a mirage or something. That I was aching so much to see her that my mind would just fool me so I would stop, but I didn't; it just hurt more. 

It was like she didn't even exist; like she never came to Eden Hall. Things were back to the way things were before I had met her. Averman ranted about not having a girlfriend, Charlie sat at the breakfast table while rushing through and essay on the Civil War while trying to choke down a bagel and Connie and Julie were laughing about the cutest coupe or something equally unimportant that most if the guys tuned out. To think, Josie and I used to be that 'couple'. Everyone seemed to go back to their old ways, except me. 

I frowned down at my lunch. In all honesty I wasn't in the mood to eat and hadn't been since dinner at Ryan's house, which ended up being pizza since his mom set the rice on fire; how she did that, we have no clue, but Ry and I were planning on solving that mystery. I rested an elbow on the table and rubbed my forehead. Even the thought of Mrs. L trying to put out the rice wasn't even cheering me up. 

Charlie looked over at me concerned. "Banks, you should eat. We have practice tonight and I have feeling Orion is going to really work us today."

"He _always_ really works us Charlie." Averman scoffed and took a bite of his lunch . . . which I couldn't name for the life of me. He grimaced and got up with his tray.

Charlie rolled his eyes and turned back to me. "_Eat_." He urged.

I shook my head. "Not hungry." I replied quickly pushing away my tray and leaning back in my chair. If I got another whiff of the cafeteria food I'd probably yak.

"Eat." Charlie tried again determined to make sure I was ok. He was worse than a parent sometimes. He pulled the tray back in front of me.

I shot a quick glare at him. "I'm not hungry." I snapped quietly.

He swallowed and leaned toward me. "Look Adam, I totally get you're depressed but you can't let it get to you. You have to eat. I haven't seen you eat anything since Sunday."

"Glad you're keeping track of my eating habits." I replied sarcastically crossing my arms defensively. Lately there had been a lot of tension between Charlie and me and I didn't like it that way. Charlie was always Captain Duck, trustworthy confidante; ready with advice to give and a joke to tell. Now it seems that all we did was argue and fight. Even our greetings seemed to be laced with spite.

He looked away from me and exhaled in a frustrated manner. "Banks, I'm just worried about you because every time you're like this you do something stupid."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, now you say I do stupid this. _Before_ you were convinced I was perfect that I could do no wrong when I needed to talk to you."

Charlie glared over at me. "Well I'm sorry that I couldn't see your little act you had put up over the years, making the rest of us feel completely insignificant over the years."

I took a breath. At the rate Charlie and I were going, we would be arguing about completely obsolete things instead of the real issue. And it was obvious too. Larson. I had been holding it against him, just as he had been since Sunday night. "Can we do this later? After practice we'll talk." I replied as calmly as I could, got up and grabbing the coke at sat on my tray and walked out of cafeteria before he could even answer.

~*~

I sat in my math class knowing she wasn't coming. I stopped trying to convince myself she was the day before because every time she didn't come I would end up getting upset, end up worrying about her. The teacher droned on about our bad marks on the last pop quiz which I completely tuned out. I couldn't think about math when she wasn't coming.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted the teacher's lecture and he put down our quizzes and opened the door. 

"Miss Best, I'm glad you could grace us with your presence. I was wondering if you were going to come." Mr. Hayden replied with a slight smirk.

My eyes flew toward Josie who completely avoided looking me in the eyes. "No choice." She replied with a nod.

He nodded sternly and eyed her carefully. "Take your seat then. I expect all the homework in by tomorrow."

She nodded carefully and walked past me taking her seat without even glancing at me. Wasn't she hurting? Didn't she miss me? Didn't she care? Why was this only hard for me? I sat up straight and pretended nothing was wrong. 

~*~

I rushed out of the math classroom quickly and waited beside the door for her to come out. I knew she was probably speaking with Mr. Hayden so I stood as calmly as I could. When I heard movement inside the room I became alert again. She walked out of the room and didn't even notice me beside the door. 

"Josie!" I called to her in hopes of attracting her attention. No luck. "Josie!" I tried again. She didn't even flinch.

I ran up to her and grabbed her wrist and pulled her against the lockers as a last resort

She yelped and twisted her wrist in my grip to make me let her go. "Banks, let go of me!" She hissed rather frightened. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Jose, we have to talk. You can't ignore me forever." I replied quickly taking her other wrist in my hand in a tight grip so she couldn't turn away from me. 

She frowned at me. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that." She replied harshly. 

I heaved a breath. "Josie, talk to me. Please."

She looked me in the eyes and frowned. "I have nothing to say to the person who abused my trust the way you did." She jerked her wrists but I held tight.

My brow furrowed. "Josie you can't hide from me. I love you and I'm sorry but the quicker we talk this out the quicker we can start over." I replied in a light panic.

With a stiff jerk of her wrists she finally broke my grasp shaking her head and rubbing her wrist gingerly. "There is no '_we_', Banks, besides I have nothing to say to you for a reason." She spat angrily. "I didn't do anything. It was your bad judgment and I have nothing to do with it." She pushed past me and continued to walk down the hall.

I raced after her and jumped in front of her, blocking her path to her next class. "Josie; you and I both know that you have everything to do with it." I replied as quietly as I could as I noticed that we were attracted attention from the people passing.

She glanced at the people passing by and I noticed a little blush creeping onto her porcelain cheeks. "No I don't." She hissed. "We're over Adam. I can't trust you, now please leave me alone."

I bit down on my lip considering letting her leave, but I considered my chances of running into her again. I had to ask her. "Well what do you want me to do to get you to trust me again?"

She narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Figure that out on your own time, **Adam.**" She spat my name out like it was a bad taste in her mouth. "I'm going to be late for History."

As she moved to the right I stepped in her path. "You'll be late." I replied sternly with a forceful tone I didn't even know I had.

She shrunk back at my comment, her eyes wild with fear. 

I began to get frustrated. "Look, this is completely new to me Josie. You can't just toss me into some situation and expect me to know exactly what to do or how to fix it!"

Her jaw dropped. "Get used to it Banks! That's life!" She shook her head violently. "Besides _I_ didn't toss you into this situation in the first place, this is _your_ mess. You have no one to blame but _yourself_." Her breathing quickened as her voice got slightly louder. "All I did was react to your actions."

"We were supposed to understand each other!"

She shook her head. "What did you expect me to do? Take you hand and tell you that it will be ok? You were supposed to know what was and wasn't acceptable!"

"We were _supposed_ be able to tell each other anything." I shot back. "Why didn't you tell me what I found out?!"

She blinked in awe. "So this is **_my_** fault? I drove to you read my journal?" She scoffed and shook her head.

"No, I didn't mean that. . ." I replied quickly

She cut me off. "No. I don't care. I really don't." She closed her eyes and licked her lips. "I don't want to hear it and I don't want to see you, so leave me alone ok?" She opened her eyes and stared into mine coldly. 

I shook my head. "I can't."

She covered her face with both hands as the bell rang around us. She groaned. "I'm late." She sighed and looked up to the ceiling. "Just go away and let me get to class."

I calmly closed my eyes and nodded, stepping out of her way allowing her to pass unable to watch her walk away from me.

Or maybe it was us . . .

~

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A/N: Yes, I know this is a short chapter, but the next scene I have in mind is kind of long and would kind of ruin this chapter. Or not. Whatever. I didn't want to add it and that's final! I've also had that Josie scene at the very end in my head for the longest time! Since before I finished Don't Speak. I know, I'm a multi-task-er/ procrastinator. But deal with it! 

Shout outs!

Beaner- Ah… a loyal reviewer! Oh you're going to have to wait a while to read the conversation I had in my head I gave to you last night! I'm not planning on having a Charlie/Larson friendship anytime soon. That dream was completely not planned but because my chapter was so short without Adam waking up in the middle of the night I couldn't just post it with just a teeny tiny bit of writing. Oh, Josie was just skipping math class. Josie is very complicated. In all honesty I want to write a Josie POV but it would have a lot of swearing and a lot of crying and a lot of angry music and breaking stuff and all that. Besides I like sticking to one POV. Okay, so you only see one side of the story but I find that with only one point of view, you're more surprised when something happens. Ok I'm off topic again! Yeah… duel it out… three rounds of bare knuckle boxing for Garette! Ready… and… Go! *laughs* Oh and thanks for reviewing Last Exit! You're too sweet! *stops and realizes that I haven't talked to yet today* *cries* Download AOL! Please!! lol! I hope to talk to you soon! Is this update soon enough? Later!

Emily- Hi! Oh I think we all are suckers for happy endings. I blame it on Disney! Damn him! *stops and realizes that the Mighty Ducks were Disney movies* I take it back! I love Disney! He kicks ass! I will never ever say anything bad about Disney ever again! I'm glad you like twists too. I'm planning on making this story nice and long too, so buckle up and be ready for the long haul. I'm hoping I'll make it to 50 again. That would be cool. Yeah Adam was really confused last chapter and he still kind of is. Well he will be for a while. And by now, you know where Josie is . . . so I don't have to tell you. Ok Thanks for the review! Later!

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- *shivers* Evil evil bunnies. But think. Those long teeth! Anything with teeth that long has to be evil! And their twitchy noses… *shivers* I know I'm scared! Hey it's ok. I'm always weird. You don't have to hide your weirdness here. Here, it's encouraged! Be Weird! I'm so glad everyone took so well to my Larson! Don't be mad at the Ducks though! Think about it, imagine you had about 2 people who were constantly picking on you when you were little then you escape them when you go to high school, then suddenly one of your best friends brings one of them to see you or something. Wouldn't you be a little skeptical and uptight about it? Wait… you said it makes _us_ happy. Who is **_us_**? Does this mean I have other people reading my story that I don't know about? *blinks excitedly* Oh and thanks for reviewing Last Exit! I'm glad you liked it! You're wow for reviewing it! Thanks for the Review! Later!

Rach- Hey! You've been thinking about my story? Awww!! That's so sweet! Blown away? That's cool! I'm flattered! Very flattered. Noo! No beating Charlie! *grabs onto Charlie and hugs him tightly* Leave Charlie be! You may beat any 'evil' characters you want (ex. Will) but leave the confused and normally good characters alone! I knew you would like my tension chapter! I'm going to try and tone it down a little because all this tension writing can get really tiring and I'm going to end up using up all my good fights in my first couple chapters! Besides I think it's time for a couple laughs. Ok, Don't Speak is set during their 2nd year at Eden Hall, late 1st semester; Don't Forget Us is set 2nd year, early 2nd semester; so basically a year after D3. Does that make sense? Again you're blown away by the power of me? I have power? **Coolies**! I'm so glad you enjoyed my song fic! *rolls eyes* I have so many song fics in my head that it's sad. I'm constantly blathering about it to my friends over AOL and MSN, about how the inspiration gnomes (don't ask), come and attack me at the worst of times. Are you happy I updated so soon? I was so surprised that I came up with this one so fast! Anyways, thanks and later!

Pyro44- Thanks for reviewing my Last Exit fic! When I originally rediscovered the song I was like 'Hey! Eden! Like Eden Hall!' and had a total Duck moment. Then suddenly when I listened to the song it was so sad and the first thing I thought of was how well it fit Adam's feeling and his regrets. I was so excited. I'm glad you felt you connected with him and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Ok, yes I'm still advertising my Last Exit to ****Eden**** song fiction. It's about Adam and it basically would take place in this story sometime around now. So please, I'm begging you, read it, review it and I'll be super happy!  By the way, to all the people who did review it, you kick ass! I love you all! **

Review!

~Toodles

Katie Gurl!


	13. Wishing I were mute

"Banks, I'm worried about you."

I groaned at this statement and I collapsed into one of the chairs in Orion's small office. You would _think_ the coach of the regional champions of Minneapolis would have an office larger than a broom closet, especially if the school has more money than they know what to do with. But you know the school board. They're holding our scholarships against us and don't particularly like us, so what can we do. 

"**Adam**!" 

I jumped at the mention of my name and looked at Coach with wide eyes. The corners of his eyes crinkled from worry and his brow furrowed. "Huh?" I replied coming back to reality, my neck burned with embarrassment. _Good job Adam, he's worried about you and now you're proving that you're crazy by spacing out on him during a lecture. Good plan._

He licked his lips and leaned on his desk in front of me. "Banks, do you know why I asked to talk to you alone?" He asked blinking calmly.

I shrugged. "My dad called and informed you I won an award?" I guessed; taking a shot in the dark with a smirk. Maybe if he thought I was joking about this he wouldn't worry about me.

"No." He replied dismissively. "I've noticed you're acting funny again on and off the ice."

I frowned. "Am I lagging behind?" 

He shook his head. "You're working harder."

I widened my eyes. "You called me in here because you're worried that I'm working _harder_?" I looked around the room. "Is this some hidden camera show or something;" I replied skeptically, "Because my past coaches have been happy that I'm working harder."

Orion looked me in the eyes. "Banks, I've noticed from the past year I've known you, that you're the type of person, when you're upset you overwork yourself, and I know this because I'm the same way."

I avoided his eyes. Damn him. "I've just had a rough week." I brushed my damp hair off my forehead. "I needed to unwind and hockey is my outlet. Don't worry about me Coach, I'm fine."

"You're not 'just having a rough week'." He stated sternly. "Something happened. I can tell. Is it your parents? School?"

I suppressed an eye roll and looked him in the eyes. "I'll be fine. Just give me a little while ok?"

"Banks, I may be just your hockey coach to you, but I need you to realize that I'm here to do more than just perfect your wrist shot or show you guys how to properly play defense. I'm also here to listen and help. That's what coaches do." He replied in utmost seriousness. "And you need to know you can come to me whenever, alright?"

I sighed and nodded. "Sure. Can I go now?" I asked harshly shoving my hands into a pair of black leather gloves. 

He nodded stiffly allowing me to get up and grab my hockey bag.

"But tomorrow I want you to come here and talk to me."

I spun around to stare him in the eyes. "But Coach! I'm _fine_!" I protested.

He ignored me as if I didn't say anything. "We would be talking now, however I have an appointment my wife and I have to get to. So I expect you here after practice tomorrow."

"Coach!" I yelped. "You can't make me! This is completely unfair!"

He shrugged. "I'll bench you."

I stared at him in complete shock and tried to understand what he was saying. "B-benched?" I stuttered and shook my head trying to clear my thoughts. "You can't bench me! You have no grounds to!"

His eyes stayed calm as he watched me. "I have reason to believe that you could injure yourself while playing."

"It's blackmail!" I yelled at him angrily. "It's basically come here or be benched! You're _blackmailing_ me!"

His hand gripped the door knob and he opened it. "I'll see you tomorrow Adam."

My jaw dropped in shock. He couldn't force me to come here and talk about what's happened. That's private and he has no need to know about my life outside of hockey. I stalked out of the office with my hockey bag weighing me down. 

And to think, I had to talk to Charlie now. 

I was beginning to wish I were a mute.

I walked out of the arena to the bitter February air and tightened my grip on my coat. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't forget today's date. The twelfth; which meant I would alone on Valentine's Day; which reminded me that I still had to cancel those dinner reservations I had made a month in advance. I shook my head. Screw it. I would give them to Guy. He and Connie would enjoy them. _Someone_ should use them.

"Banks!" I heard Charlie calling me from a distance behind me. "Banks stop!"

I stopped and turned around and watched him run out into the courtyard. 

"You wanted to talk after practice." He panted, his heavy breaths forming large clouds in front of his face.

I nodded. "Yeah, I just wanted to call a truce." I licked my lips and looked down at the shorter boy. "I don't want to fight with you anymore."

"That's like a tie." He replied.

I rubbed my face with my hands, the smell of leather filling my senses. "Charlie, this is not a game. This is our friendship we're talking about."

"Fine." He replied stubbornly. "Just don't bring your Hawk friends around here anymore."

I blinked in shock. "Charlie, you can't do that. This isn't your school."

His brown eyes locked on mine calmly, as if they were staring into the depths of my soul. "Well it _definitely_ isn't his and he isn't welcomed here."

I glared at him angrily. "Charlie you're one of my best friends and all I want you to do is talk to him. Just talk to him, then you can make all judgments you want about him. But until then, he can come here whenever he wants."

Charlie looked at me skeptically. "Ok, are you trying to make a deal with me?"

I stopped and blinked in shock. "Yes. . ." I replied trying to sound confident. "Yes, I am making a deal with you."

"So let's set some ground rules then." Charlie said crossing his arms. "I have one conversation and then he can't ever come back here unless it's a game?"

I shook my head. "No! That's completely unfair. You could bring up the topic of something I know you two would argue about and then you win!"

His raised an eyebrow. "I thought this _wasn't_ a game Adam."

I rolled my eyes. "We'll hang out someplace, anywhere, tomorrow after practice and we hang out for about an hour."

Charlie sighed. "Fine. But I get to bring a Duck, seeing Larson has you."

I nodded. "Fine. But at least call him by his first name. He does have one you know."

"He doesn't know mine!" He objected.

"Yeah, he does Conway."

Charlie licked both of his lips. "Fine. I'll tell Fulton." He turned his back to me and began walking towards the bus stop.

I rolled my eyes. That's good Charlie, let's intimidate him with one of our enforcers. I sighed and began walking towards my dorm. 

~*~

I flipped the page in my book, but I wasn't really reading. I was thinking, again, about her. I was tired of thinking about her, but I couldn't stand the idea of throwing away everything we had gone through.

The door creaked open and Averman stepped in with a smile on his face. "Banks, how you doing?"

I looked up from my book. "Have you ever been hit by a Mack truck?"

He frowned. "No."

"Well, if you ever are, you'll know how I'm doing." I replied and refocused on my book.

He licked his lips and sat down on his bed. "Welcome to _Dumpsville_; population—you." He mumbled under this breath and rummaged through his backpack and pulled out his math textbook and sat it on the foot of his bed.

I rolled my eyes. "Not funny." I grumbled and prepared to ignore Averman's angry yelps when he couldn't figure out how to properly graph a line.

"Ok, that many not have been my best material, but you need to poke fun at your situation or you're going to be sitting on your bed all alone until you graduate." Averman interjected before he focused on his homework.

I shrugged and buried my nose into my book. "I'm perfectly fine with that."

I heard him groan and roll off his bed. "Banks!! Why didn't you listen to me!" He yelped pathetically. "Love is just another form of suicide! I've told you that time and time again. . ."

I dropped my book onto my chest and looked over at him, lying on the hardwood floor with his arm covering his eyes feebly. "What made you so much like _Scrooge_ towards love?"

Averman uncovered his eyes and frowned at me. "I am not like _Scrooge_!" He yelped. "I've just seen what happens when people say they fall in love."

I rolled my eyes. "Like what?"

"Like you!" Averman yelped pointing at me leaning up on his elbow. "Ok, remember how Charlie's mom was in love with Bombay and all that junk? She was **heartbroken** when they decided to stop and then she married Charlie's step-dad, and Charlie was **heartbroken** when his step-dad wasn't Bombay. Getting close to people only causes trouble." Averman shrugged and lowered his back onto the floor and looked up to our textured ceiling. "The only people you can trust are your family, blood."

I frowned. "What about the Ducks?"

Averman turned his head to look at me. "You guys are my brothers and Julie and Connie are my sisters. You're like my extended family. So basically you are blood."

I smirked. "But don't you want to have a family, one day, of your own?"

He nodded and looked up at the ceiling again. "Of course."

"Well you kind of need a _girl_ to do that you know." I smirked.

"Of course I know that." He replied in an insulted tone. "I'm not _that_ stupid."

I smirked. "Well don't you think you should do something about finding that girl?"

"To be totally honest Banks," Averman started, grabbing a hackie sack that was shoved under his bed and tossed it in the air and caught it a couple inches from his face. "I'm not thinking much past dinner."

I smirked. "Well that's productive." I reopened my book and tried to read, but I couldn't focus on it.

"Adam?"

"Uh huh." I answered not putting down my book. I had a feeling he was going to be serious because he barely ever called me Adam.

He paused for a minute. "Can you answer me something without being smart about it or using some metaphor?"

I laid my book on my chest again and looked down at him. "Sure. What is it?"

"How do you really feel?"

I blinked. That wasn't the type of question Averman would normally ask. I thought about it and bit my lip. "Hurt." I answered simply.

"How bad?"

I blinked and shrugged. "I know you said no metaphors and you wanted a straight answer and all that junk, but let me put it this way." I replied. "Nothing is more painful than knowing you hurt the person you care about most."

I heard Averman move on the floor and he quickly sat on the edge of his bed, staring at me. "Would you take it back if you could?" He stopped and frowned. "I mean, if you could would you live it over again?"

I smirked and looked over at him as he pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "In a heartbeat."

He swallowed and frowned. "Is there anything I could do?"

I shook my head. "Nothing but be you."

He grinned. "So does that mean. . ."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, play as many pranks as you want."

He smiled widely and grabbed his backpack. "Oh. . . okay. . ." He looked at the door and got up. "Uh. . . I have to go study math with Goldie now . . . so. . ." He inched towards the door.

I smirked as he reached for the doorknob. "You forgot your math textbook." I laughed and pointed at the end of his bed.

He glanced over at his bed and back at me. "Oh. . . it's ok. Goldberg has his. . ."

I smiled. "Have fun."

"Yeah whatever!" He yelped as he rushed out of the dorm room and slammed the door behind him.

I smirked and shook my head and looked over at my night stand where my cell phone sat. I grabbed it and flipped it open and dialed a number.

I bit my lip as it rang. 

My stomach dropped as a machine picked up.

_"Hey this is Ryan. A is for Academics, B is for Beer, for one of these reasons I'm not here! Just leave a message. Ow! Mom! I was just ki—"_

A tone interrupted my chuckles. 

"Hey Ryan, its Adam. Two things. One- you're a **_loser_**! And two- I've convinced Charlie to come hang out with us tomorrow after track and he's bringing along one of the Ducks. I hope you don't mind. Call me back tonight before eleven or tomorrow morning before classes ok? Later!"

I shook my head at Ryan's message. It figures he would get busted by his mom. 

But now after telling Ry about Charlie tagging along with Fulton I was regretting it. Tomorrow definitely wasn't going to be fun. 

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A/N: Hey Everyone! This chapter so did not want to be written. I sort of had an idea what I wanted to happen (it's mainly filler until next chapter) but I couldn't make it work. I'm not the happiest with it (but I know some of you people love my filler… (why is that?)) but I posted it anyways. I have a feeling that this chapter is as good as it could be. It was mainly set up, so bare with me ok? 

**_Shout outs! _**

Beaner- Hey there! Poor Adam, yes yes… we all feel bad for the poor- *Adam covers Katie's mouth* Adam: "I'm taking this over, so she can't call me names! Oh, Katie is glad that you understand why she couldn't do a Josie POV. But She said that you will know what Josie's thinking, through Julie (her roommate!). She is very excited to see this bare knuckle boxing!" *turns to author* "Are you encouraging violence over a guy?" *author smiles innocently* Adam: "Katie! *frowns* Anyways. Everyone is glad your home, however right now you're doing homework so… Oh Guy, did you take any cookies with you? Katie baked cookies in food and nutrition class on Thursday, but *picks up cookie and throws it at a wall causing a dent*, they're kind of rock solid." Charlie: *from another room* "Whoa! Chinese throwing cookies!"  Adam: *shakes head* "Anyways Katie hopes you enjoy the chapter and we both hope to talk to you soon." *Adam allows author to have keyboard* LATER!

Rach- Hey! Katie greatness? I have a greatness? lmao! Sorry I had this moment where I thought of D3 where Orion goes, 'What do all great teams have in common?' And Averman says 'Great coaching!' And… wait… you've seen the movies. *laughs* I'm such a ditz! Anyways yeah, just reminded of that whole moment-y thing. By the way, didn't I send you Averman? How's he doing? ; ) Oh, well you see I'm a lover of tension in general and I like to mix it up. In all honesty I'm trying to tone it down a little because it is getting really tiring. So I'm going to lighten it up and add some comedy. Anyways, talk to you later!

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey there! Oh you're definitely a wow. You read my fifty freaking chapter novel story (that is definitely a wow) and now my sequel and my song fic! There is no doubt about it. You're a wow. Oh, that's awesome! I have other people reading my story! *waves to other people who may be reading this chapter* Hey Guys! You kick ass! Watch the Ducks!! Oh definitely get him that for his b-day. I think that's an awesome idea. *waves some more* Hi from Canada!! Yeah poor Larson. He'll have an appearance next chapter I swear! Ohhh!! Don't try to burn rice! It was the first type of Chinese food that came into my head! Don't try and burn it! I do not want to be held accountable! DO NOT! Thanks for the review and Later!!

Emily- Hey there! Yeah totally poor Adam, but also poor Josie. She does have the right. Oh and don't worry about her switching schools. I doubt her father will have much to do with this story, however I'm not sure. He might make an appearance and Phil probably will too. Oh I have ideas for months. Months and months. However this chapter is mainly filler. I hope to read one of your stories that are in your head and I thanks for the review! Later!

Ok People that's it!

**REVIEW**

**_~Toodles!_**

Katie Girl!


	14. It Broke?

"Banks! Pace yourself!" Orion yelled a couple feet behind me. I had already lapped a couple of my teammates, Dwayne, Charlie, Luis, all who were fairly fast runners and had done at least one more lap than everyone. "_Banks_!"

I inwardly groaned and slowed down so I was running along side him and Julie, who was on his other side. I didn't want to slow down, I wanted to speed up and forget. Why couldn't he just get that? Julie glanced over at me and quickly looked ahead; her eyes straying from the gym floor, over at me every few seconds. 

By the time we had finished running I was getting curious to why she was looking at me like that. You know when someone looks at you and you can't help but guess what their thinking about and then suddenly you decide that their thinking about how much of a _loser_ you are? Well that's the feeling I got and it's _ten_ times worse when it's a friend who is looking at you like that and a _hundred_ times worse when it's a girl when you're a guy. You feel like you're beneath them. 

Charlie looked over at me and gave me a smirk as we walked toward the guy's change room. "Your friend ready?"

I rolled my eyes. "_Ryan_. Can you at least get his name right?" I frowned at him and pulled off my shirt.

"Right, Ryan." He grumbled in a rather annoyed fashion as he walked over to his locker and grabbed a T-shirt from it.

I glanced over at Charlie and pulled a clean shirt over my head. "What about Fulton? What did he have to say?"

"I don't like it." Fulton replied through gritted teeth and walked past me to open his gym locker beside Charlie's. "But I'll go."

I looked down and shook my head. I couldn't believe how closed minded they all were. "Ok, I'll meet you outside the arena in a half hour." I replied and continued to change before heading for my meeting with Orion.

~*~

I knocked quietly on Orion's door and bit my lip uncomfortably as I shifted the strap of my backpack on my shoulder. I didn't want to be here and I was hoping like hell Ryan didn't come early because I wasn't quite sure what Fulton and Charlie would do to him. 

No answer.

I cleared my throat and knocked again only louder. Was Orion hard of hearing or something?

"Come in." He grunted from behind the door and I opened it up finding myself much in the position I was the day before.

I stood behind the chair and looked at Orion who quickly put down a couple papers he was flipping through and he motioned at the chair, which I quickly took dropping my roller blades and bag to the ground with a thud. 

"So, are you ready to talk?" He asked straightening up the papers and putting them on a corner of his desk.

I crossed my arms. "Do I have a choice?"

He looked up at me with sad eyes. "We all have choices Adam, no matter what situation we're in, whether you're on the ice, in the classroom, on a date, wherever. It's your job as an educated person to pick out these choices and weigh them appropriately and pick the best."

I glared at him. "Well it seems that _you_ have outlined my choices already. Speak or be _benched_." I spat, leaning back in the chair.

He raised his eyebrows and sighed grabbing the papers that he had just straightened and began looking through them. "Speak then."

I pursed my lips. "About _what_."

He looked past the papers at me. "Don't toy with me Banks. I don't need you wasting my valuable time."

I frowned. This was completely unfair. "Josie dumped me." I grumbled under my breath.

He put the papers down on his desk. "That's quite surprising." He said rather concerned. "You two seemed quite content last I saw you together."

I nodded. "Well you know how high school relationships go. You can make and break them in a blink of an eye." I replied harshly and looked at him as he let out a breath. "I told you that you wouldn't be able to fix this."

"I-" He was interrupted by the phone that began ringing on his desk. He sighed and looked up at me. "Pardon." He excused the phone and picked it up. 

I shook my head in annoyance. I couldn't believe this.

"Yes?" He snapped into the phone. "Oh. . . Hi Honey." He smiled into the phone. It must've been his daughter or his wife. His expression turned from pleasantly surprised to horrified. "Your _what_? . . . It _broke_? . . .  But you're a month early!" He glanced at me quickly and bit his lip nervously. "Are you sure it isn't a false alarm?!" He yelped and waited a few seconds. "You're sure, ok. Call Debbie and I'll meet you in the hospital. I love you."

I glanced from him to the phone frowning completely confused. "Coach?" I whispered.

He held one finger out signaling 'one minute' and continued to listen to the phone. "Ok, ok, I'll be there." He fumbled with the phone before setting it in the cradle looking back and forth.

I blinked. "Coach, what is it?"

He focused on me. "I've got to go." He replied getting up and grabbing his coat from the back of his chair with a grin. "I've got to go to the hospital."

I jumped out of my chair after grabbing my things and shook his head. "Coach what happened?"

He smiled. "My wife is having the baby, right now." He patted his pockets and grabbed his keys from it and began to usher me out of his office. "I have to go pick up Beth and get to the hospital." He explained and closed the door behind him and locked it. "So get out of here and tell the guys no Saturday practice ok? If they want to use the ice get Coach Wilson to unlock the arena." He said urging me to move faster.

I rushed along with him; his nervousness and excitement that was pulsating through him was contagious and I couldn't help but feel it too. 

He suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked around. "What if I've forgotten something . . .?" He whispered looking back at his office. His eyes suddenly locked on me. "Did I forget something?"

I blinked. "I wouldn't know Coach. I'm the youngest in my family." I shrugged feeling completely helpless to this situation.

"Should I go back and check? I mean, it couldn't be coming right now right? Like I wouldn't miss it would I?" He looked back at his office and then at the exit. "I-I-I…" He stuttered. "Do you think she could hold it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Coach, just go! Get! I'm quite sure that you don't need anything and if you do the hospital will have it. Now stop worrying and go!"

He nodded and pushed through the doors out into the cold, his hands shaking with excitement. 

I looked at him. "Coach; are you ok to drive?"

He nodded excitedly as he unlocked his car and ran up to it. 

"Hey Banksie!"

I spun around and saw Charlie and Fulton approaching quickly looking rather confused.

Orion rolled down his window after starting the engine. "Ok, remember, no practice and if you need the ice ask Wilson."

Charlie frowned. "No practice? Coach what's going on?" He asked once they were in earshot.

Orion pulled out of his parking space with a grin. "**I'm going to be a Dad**!"

Charlie scratched his head as Orion drove out of the gates. "I thought he already was. . ."

I looked over at him and smiled. "His wife just called. They're having a baby right now."

Fulton, whom had been fairly silent for the past couple seconds, got a look of shock spread across his face. "Go Coach . . ."

"Hey am I early?"

I spun around and grinned. "Ry, I was wondering when you would make your appearance." I laughed as he rolled to a stop a few feet away from us.

He shrugged as he rolled to a stop with his blades, glanced at Fulton and blinked at him nervously. I watched his Adam's apple bob up and down in reaction as he sized up the smaller of the enforcers in the Ducks. It seemed Ryan remembered Fulton from his days as a Hawk and wasn't to excited to be in a social situation with him. Not in the slightest.

I cleared my throat quietly as I attempted to break the awkward silence that had separated my three friends into two groups. "Larson, these are two of my friends from the Ducks, Charlie Conway and Fulton Reed." I glanced over at my fellow Ducks who seemed to be shooting red hot daggers at Ryan. "Guys, this is Ryan Larson."

Charlie's nose twitched in disgust and nodded silently in greeting. 

Fulton blinked completely emotionless.

Ryan smiled awkwardly, exhaling; probably thanking God that he survived the introductions.

This was not going so well. I adjusted my skates that were tossed over my shoulder nonchalantly and glanced at my two teammates who had made no move to do anything. I studied Ryan's body language as he shifted his weight from skate to skate and fiddled with the strap to his backpack on his one shoulder. 

"I need to put on my blades. . ." I announced feeling like a complete doofus as soon as I did. I backed up and sat down on the curb and took off a shoe and untied the laces that were holding my two blades together.

Hockey, I'll bring up hockey. We all agree it's an awesome game . . .

Ugh! No. Charlie will claim that Ryan's trying to steal our plays or strategies or something and they'll fight.

Well . . . the NHL. I just bring up the last game I saw. Larson was as loyal to the _North Stars_ as Charlie was and told me that he was so pissed when they left Minnesota to 'freaking Dallas'. Of course, I would never tell Dwayne that those were his exact words.

"Hey, did Banks ever tell you how he pranked the Hawks back in pee wees?" Larson asked half laughing.

I looked up and saw Charlie, Fulton and Larson crowded together in a group laughing over past infractions. What the hell happened?

"_Banks_ was a prankster? I thought that would be more of McGill's territory." Charlie replied half laughing.

Ryan shook his head. "Naw . . . McGill was the brawn; Banks was the evil genius of the group when it came to pranks that were done in good natured fun."

Charlie glanced over at me with a smirk. "Really, Banksie never told us of his back round in pranks."

"You mean he _never_ told you about the itch powder!"

I shot a look at Ryan. "**_Don't even Larson_**!"

"Aw! He's shy!" Ryan taunted me. "He put itch powder into the socks of one of the new Hawk's socks and skates, saying that it would make them 'skate faster'. The only problem was that he accidentally got it on his hands and he couldn't shoot the puck straight all practice. Riley was so pissed!" Ryan burst out laughing along with Charlie and Fulton.

I lowered my head. "I can't believe you brought that up. . ."

"But wait there's more!" Ryan hushed Charlie with a wave of his hand. "The powder was like stuck into the material of his gloves and he couldn't play without his palms itching!" He smirked and pouted at me. "His daddy had to buy him new gloves."

I shook my head as I got up off the curb. "I think I liked you better when you guys were enemies."

Charlie shrugged. "Hey, you wanted us to be friends! Or at least civil."

"Yeah what happened? I turn away from you guys for five seconds and all of a sudden you're like long lost best friends!"

Fulton shrugged. "Why do you ask questions that don't need an answer?"

I nodded and skated towards them and started toward the front gates. 

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A/N: Again! A chapter that didn't want to write itself! And to be totally honest, I don't have much to say about it so I'm just going to head for shout outs and be done with it!

Shout outs!

Emily- Hey there! Well there was the meeting but they're day isn't over! I hate writing filler. It bothers me. I would much rather action action action or tension tension tension! However, it can get super hard to after a while So for the next couple chapters there will be a little tension here and there but mostly I'm going to start adding on my humors subplots! OH how I love my subplots! I have a couple that are floating around in my head. One including Averman, and another including Larson. Can you guess? Can you?? Thanks for the review and the heads up on your fic! Later!

Beaner- Oh!! Ok, I promise, no more giving away half of my chapters before I post them. From now on I'll only ask opinions on certain parts that I'm not sure of so I don't give it all away because that's no fun! *grins* Do you like where I'm going with my Orion subplot? I was so excited when I came up with it during Don't Speak. I was like Oh!!! So awesome! And Larson's back! Next chapter there will be more Larson and he'll be a regular seeing I've got 2 subplots that I'm choosing between. I'm leaning towards one, but every so often I think of the other and am like, Ooh . . . tempting . . . OH and I promise to have Guy in there someplace. I'm not sure where. I'm trying to get all the Ducks in but it's hard! I want to drag Portman back into the story but I can't seem to find a place for him. Him and Russ and Dwayne and Kenny. I don't want to leave anyone out. Anyways, thanks so much for the review (would I expect you not to?) and I hope to talk . . . never mind . . . you just came online! lol Later!

Jess- Hi there! I'm glad that you decided to review! Welcome! I hope you continue to read my story. Ok, yes I get that you're a fan of our Banksie (I am too! He's my favorite!) However, you have to push your biases aside for two seconds. Adam may not be perfect however, most people I know would probably drop a guy like a bad habit if they found out they read their diary. Hell, I've yelled at one of my best friends for looking through my _old_ diary from the forth grade. Those things are personal and usually aren't there for public reading, or private reading even if that person is you're significant other. And I completely understand that Adam is a guy and wouldn't chase one specific girl forever, and I do have that into consideration but sometimes it takes a couple weeks to get over someone and I get the feeling (this is just my logic here, you may thing otherwise) that Adam is the type to hold onto things like that. But whatever. Thanks for the Review and review whenever!

Rachel- Hey there! Oh and hi Averman! I miss you too much ok! *Adam pushes author out of the way* Adam: "Averman! I'm so murdering you the next time I see—" *author pushes Adam out of the way* Adam! No threatening Averman. He was kidding. You aren't a freak of nature.  *rolls eyes* He's so touchy! I was so proud of my Averman moment! I can't wait to add onto his 'subplot.' Yes you heard me! I'm giving Averman his very own special subplot! *grins* I can't wait to write it but I have to wait just a little bit, so hold on! I love writing Averman, although sometimes he can be a challenge, especially when I'm in a bitchy mood. Sometimes when I write him he doesn't come off as sarcastic but sadistic and depressed. I have to be very careful with him. I'm glad you and Averman are having fun and I'm glad I'm not alone on that D3 moment! I hope you enjoyed this chapter (even with its lack of our favorite prankster!) and thanks for reviewing! Later!

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Yo from Canada! *waves* Hey Justin and friends! You still rock! I'm glad you didn't burn the rice however I'm slightly concerned with the whole melting the TV dinner thing. *frowns and bites lip* Anyways, I wanted to say I'm flattered that you guys are talking about me! That's so cool!! Oh and I hope you enjoyed my little Larson scene. Next chapter will have more Larson in it! I promise! I hope you liked my chapter and I hope you review really soon! You make me smile! : ) Thanks so much! Later!

Ok everyone! That's it!

REVIEW!

~Toodles!

KatieGurl!


	15. Why? What!

"Oh, but that's_ not_ all!"

Larson punched my arm hard and glared at me. "_Banks_ shut up!"

I rubbed my arm and locked eyes with Charlie. "Ok, after his really crummy practice, with all of his gear on he runs after Riley and grabs onto his sleeve and makes him stop and goes with two little tears rolling down his cheeks, 'Coach'," Ryan punched my arm as I choked on my chuckles and yelped and glared at him. "He said, 'Coach, you _can't_ put me back onto 3rd line! My dad . . . he's counting on me, I need to make him _proud_!" I threw my arms up into the air dramatically.

Ryan rolled his eyes and focused on Charlie and Fulton. "_Oh come on_! I was _eight_! Give me a break." 

Charlie, by now was consumed with laughs and Fulton was shaking his head, trying his best not to laugh at the smaller boy beside him.

Ryan shook his head and pointed at me as our cokes were brought to us at the diner as were sat around a round table. "I don't even know why I started talking to him in kindergarten. I really don't."

"That's because you knew I was the _shit_!" I explained taking a gulp of my drink and grinning charismatically.

"**Shithead!**" Ryan punched my arm playfully making Fulton snort and cough after taking a drink.

Charlie grimaced and shifted away from Fulton. "Jesus! Ok no more stories from way back when! You just make coke come out of Fulton's nose!" He threw some napkins at Fulton who was still laughing.

Just as quickly as our laughs had erupted, they stopped and an awkward silence overcame us all as Fulton wipes his face off. My eyes looked from friend to friend each of their eyes telling a story of their own, just as mine did.

Charlie's told a story of constant teasing and ridicule over things he didn't have any control over. They told a story of _countless_ nights of wondering why his family had no money to spare after buying the necessities of life, while mine had enough money to last about a lifetime or two.

Ryan's tale was one of following the crowd and being very withdrawn from the group; always getting in trouble, even if he wasn't the one who actually did anything. He was basically the decoy for either McGill or I; more often McGill. What he really needed were new friends, but stayed with us out of easiness and fear of the unknown. Some people are scared of the unknown because of the fact that if you were in pain and actually did something and you got more pain, it could be worse and at least the pain you're in now is familiar. 

Fulton, his eyes were clouded over with mystery. He _was_ the unknown. He didn't go out of his way to talk to people and people didn't go out of their way to talk to him. His eyes spoke of times when he was alone without anyone and everyday he would defend other people and all he would get was a nod and maybe a thanks, if he were lucky and if he wasn't, he would get a look of fear. 

"Why did it take so long for us to be friends?"

I looked away from Fulton and glanced at Ryan who was swirling the straw in his coke around and looked extremely interested in the bubbles floating up from the bottom of his drink. He looked over at me and around the table meeting everyone's eyes.

Charlie shrugged and put a soft smile on his face. "I don't know."

Fulton shifted in his seat. "We were focusing too much on our differences rather than our similarities." He explained with a nod. 

"I wish I could take it back." I whispered licking my lips and looking down at the table. "_All of it_."

Ryan nodded. "Me too."

Charlie shook his head. "Forget it. It was stupid stuff that a bunch of ten year olds did."

Fulton bit his lip and bashfully stared into his drink. "How long were you guys tied to that tree?"

Ryan looked up and his brow furrowed. "Tree?" He blinked. "Oh! The tree!" He exclaimed rather surprised after figuring out that Fulton was talking about the day at the lake while we were collecting all the Ducks for the Goodwill Games. "An hour at most. McGill's mother was coming down with our lunch and found us."

Fulton quietly laughed with Ryan. "Sorry about that." He chuckled softly.

"Hey, no prob. It was McGill's stupid idea to try and clothesline the rest of your team. We kind of deserved it. Although stealing our clothes was a different spin to that burn." Ryan shrugged with a smirk spread across his face. "But, it's not the only tree that I've been tied to."

My face dropped. Although Josie was stuck in my mind like a bad song, I hadn't gotten all fucked up about it because of the fun I was having. They hadn't distracted me from her, but something had kept me from feeling upset and depressed.

Ryan looked over me and slapped his forehead. "Jeez, sorry man. I forgot; you don't want to talk about it."

Charlie and Fulton looked from me to Larson curiously. "You don't want to talk about what?" Charlie asked frowning at me.

I sighed. "_Josie._"

"You know Josie?" Charlie asked Larson, seeming slightly shocked.

Ryan shrugged. "Kind of." He looked over at me. "You didn't tell them about _McGill_?"

I shook my head. "No. I didn't think it was necessary."

Fulton blinked. "You didn't think what was necessary?" He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Could you guys be _a little_ bit more descriptive? This is like trying to understand a secret code."

I sighed. I might as well tell them now, seeing that if I didn't they would be bugging me about it until they die or I die, whichever comes first. "The day of the game against the Knights, I took Josie to Hawk Creek and then McGill--"

"Wait!" Charlie stopped me. "Hawk Creek?"

I exchanged looks with Larson and bit my lip after Larson nodded, Okaying me to tell them. "It's a tiny creek near McGill's house and that's what we named it."

Fulton raised his eyebrows. "You named a creek after your _hockey team_?"

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "We were seven and in a bind and it was the first thing that came to mind."

Charlie raised his hands in mock surrender. "We aren't bad-mouthing the name!" He chuckled halfway through. "We were just wondering."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Anyways, he took Josie down to the creek and McGill saw people going down the bank towards it and was wondering who it was from his bedroom and we walked down to the creek and found them and McGill tried to beat Adam up, but Josie came up with an idea to tie me to a tree and go down there and surprise McGill."

"Wait." Fulton said frowning. "McGill tried to beat you up before the game?"

I shrugged. "It happens."

Fulton shook his head. "Almost getting beat up by a player on the opposing team a couple hours before a game, doesn't _just happen _Banks."

Charlie stared at me. "Ducks fly together. No more secrets okay?"

I nodded and rolled my eyes at Charlie's use of '_ducks fly together_'. After hearing it since pee wees, it had basically turned into a cliché. "Ok, can we change the subject now onto something slightly lighter like the last game you saw?"

"Who did the _Wilds _play last night?" Fulton frowned. "Kenny was bringing me up to speed in English."

Charlie glanced over at him. "_Oilers_ and we won 4-0. But I'm still upset with the _Stars_. I'm hoping they do better tonight."

"You're a _Stars_ fan?" Ryan asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, although, I'm a little pissed at them. They did---"

"Leave Minnesota after all." Ryan finished with a nod and a tiny smile. "Me too."

I shook my head and took a sip of my drink. Is it me, or is the smell of a new friendship lingering around us?

~*~

The courtyard was deathly silent as we rolled in at about 11:30pm; a half hour late for curfew on the weekends. We would have to be very sneaky to get into the building now. Thankfully, Fulton had a friend on the first floor and we would be able to get in through his window and into our beds for the random midnight bed checks.

I sat down beneath the window with Charlie and Fulton taking off our skates before we even attempted getting into the building.

"Ok, so next week, we do the same thing, but this time we'll bring some more Ducks;  mostly the out of state ones, so the Ducks like Averman and Goldberg can warm up to the idea of hanging out with a Hawk." Charlie whispered out of the blue. "But, I'll _try_ to get Guy to come."

I laughed. "Too funny." I shook my head. "I _told_ you that you shouldn't have made assumptions about him."

Charlie narrowed his eyes and me and pulled off his skate. "I'm glad we haven't grown out of the '_I told you so_. . .' stage."

"**I told you so**!" I smiled and pushed on my shoe and tied the laces quickly.

Fulton brought a finger to his lips and frowned. "Can we be a little bit more inconspicuous here?" He hissed shoving his skates into his backpack. "I do not need a detention for being late for curfew."

I nodded and bit my lip so I wouldn't be temped to speak.

Charlie looked around us erratically with a look of worry on his face. "Do you guys hear something?"

Fulton shook his head. "Only you Charlie." He said peeking out of the bushes that gave us camouflage from the light that illuminated the pathways and the gardens in the night. 

My ears perked at the sounds a pair of footsteps along a cement path not too far away. "I think I heard someone." I hushed my voice to as soft as I could. 

Fulton immediately moved away from the front of the bushes as quietly as he could and looked from Charlie to me nervously. "Do you think it's a teacher?" He breathed, swallowing nervously and pulling his knees to his chest so he wouldn't take up as much space.

Charlie opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the person.

"Will you please leave? If I have a guy in my dorm, Julie will flip and the teacher on duty will have me under house arrest for a _month_! Not to mention I'm _completely_ disregarding curfew here!" An extremely familiar voice hissed at a second person. 

My eyes widened. "It's **Josie!**" I moved to get up but both Charlie and Fulton grabbed my shoulders and forced me onto the frozen ground. "But g-"

Fulton slapped a hand over my mouth and focused on eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Joslyn, _please_! I won't make a noise. You won't even notice me." The second voice replied.

My eyes widened. "It's **Will**!" I hissed at Charlie after peeling Fulton's hand off my face. I attempted to stand up but their hands were still firmly on my shoulders keeping me planted where I was. 

"_No_!" She quietly yelped back at him, obviously getting annoyed and frustrated with him. Their voices seemed to stay the same volume so they must've stopped. "I don't even like you. _Go away_!"

"_Joslyn_; I told you the truth!"

"Will you stop calling me that?!"

"You have to trust me. I wanted to tell you but **_he_** was threatening me!"

"I don't care! I want you to leave me alone Will! I'm tired, I have school tomorrow and I don't want to talk about Adam anymore!"

My eyes widened and I tried my best to push Charlie and Fulton off me. I had to tell her the truth. I couldn't just let him drag my name through the mud! It wasn't fair. Fulton and Charlie grabbed onto me for dear life and waited until the footsteps were gone, one in the direction of the girl dorms, and the other towards the main exit.

I turned to them both. "Why did you do that?!" I spat at them angrily, my eyes narrowing at them. "You just let Will bad-mouth me and lie about in front of my girlfriend!"

Fulton raised his hand. "_Technically_ she's your ex."

If looks could kill, Fulton would've been dead as a doornail.

"We were saving you from yourself!" Charlie replied getting up onto the balls of his feet and allowing Fulton to tap on the window above us. "Had you jumped out of the bushes; Josie wouldn't only not trust you even more for eavesdropping on her conversations; she would probably think you were her stalker; us included; and would've gotten a restraining order!" 

I stared at him completely shocked. He was completely right. Thank God for Captain Duck! 

The squeaking of one of the old windows being opened filled the air around us and a tired looking boy with black, tousled hair leaned out of the window, with his eyes half closed. "_What_?" He groaned, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand and settling it on the window frame.

Fulton stood up and looked around. "Troy; let me in. I get one more detention and I'm suspended."

"Fult?" He grunted. "Yeah, yeah, get in and close the window." He said moving out of the way.

Fulton stepped onto a rock that was 'strategically' put under the window and pulled himself into the room with help from half asleep Troy and motioned for us to follow.

As I pulled myself onto the ledge and into the building I couldn't help but think one thing.

What the hell was she doing with **Will**?

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A/N: Hey there. Yeah, I was majorly blocked during this chapter. I was really PO-ed. Anyways, there isn't too much to say about this chapter. *throws hand dramatically over forehead* Alas! I, the person who can never shut up; has nothing to say to the general public! 

Shout outs!

OreoLine00- Oh I so forgive you! And I'm so proud of you! If I ever tried to fix my computer by myself, it would implode. I swear to God! Well at least you read the last couple chapters! And enjoyed them! Yeah, I just noticed that. The last 2 were shorter. Hmmm… Thanks, I'll try and write more ok? It isn't you. It's me. Well, for me it isn't spring break, my excuse is too much homework, example, my French ISU. Ugh… I should get started on that. Have fun partying! Later!

Erica- Hey! Yeah of course I remember you! I'm glad you liked a chapter 13 and 14; however, I don't think your entire review went through for chapter 13! How crumby is that! I'm so glad you're caught up and I can't wait to hear more from you! Thanks so much!

Banks'-gurl-99- Hey there! Are you a new reviewer? Anyways, Hi there! Welcome! Oh, I couldn't figure out what to call the chapter so I just picked something out quickly. Sorry about the confusion there! Anyways, I hope you enjoy my chapters and hopefully I'll hear more from you later! Thanks for the review!

Rach- Hi! I was so excited to get your review! I love them so much! You make me laugh! And don't worry about Adam! He's ok! *clears throat* Adam- "I swear I won't hurt Averman. Mainly because Katie really likes him and she said that she would bring back Linda if I did hurt him. *shivers*." See! No worries. I love writing Ryan (he's like an OC, but not… so it's so cool!) so it's amazing that you love him! And baby Orion! Yay! I have seen teen pregnancy over and over in this fandom, but I've never seen Orion! So I was like, 'I'm so doing that!' And my famous subplots! Yeah, I'm planning on an Averman one (care to guess it?) and a Ryan one (which you probably wouldn't guess, it has nothing to do with the Ducks). The Averman one is going to be PURELY comedy. I hope you enjoy it. I'm thinking of introducing it in the next chapter… or the chapter after that. Later!

Emily- Hey there! I really hate writing fillers because it's like being in the middle of a 10min presentation, and then 8mins in, you run out of things to say. I sit there and panic like 'omigod! What now!!!' I usually sit there for like for a few minutes staring blankly at the screen. My mom looks at me funny. lol! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope to talk to you soon!

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey there! Yup, Orion has a new baby! Yeah Adam was really smart wasn't he?? I'm glad you won't melt any more TV dinners. I'm quite sure that it isn't a good idea. Oh and while we're on the subject… don't put any metal in the microwave while you're at it. Yes more Larson! I love writing him, so he's going to be a more consistant feature in my chapters. Good luck on the not burning food and Later!

Beaner- Hey there! I'm so glad you like Orion's subplot! I feel like I read ten billion Connie or Julie pregnancies that I thought I was going to puke! So I thought, lets be different! Baby usually = happy time, especially if the people are married etc. etc. etc. So Orion! Go Orion! Something new! I want to have Guy in there someplace, but I can't quite find the right place for him yet. Yup, I added a little bit of Josie in there! You guessed what was going to happen! *pouts* That wasn't fun! You already knew she was going to be with Will! Go more guessing for you! *points* We have telepathic communication and you read my thoughts! It's no fair! *laughs* Anyways, I hope you like this chapter and I can't wait to read your review! Later!

REVIEW

~Toodles

KatieGurl


	16. Genius!

As quietly as I could I closed the door to my dorm room, even though I had the urge to slam it to vent my frustration. From going from Fulton's friend's room, up the stairs and down the hall and into my dorm, my thoughts of _why_ Will was there were brewing. It didn't make sense. Why would he be there? He knew Josie wouldn't give into him, _even_ if he were the last guy on this entire planet, so why would he visit her now? Ok, so Josie and I . . . broke . . . up. That doesn't mean he can come rushing in and try and snatch her up!

"**Banks! You were so right**!"

I spun around and blinked as the lamp besides Averman's bed was turned on; it illuminated the room and bounced off the lenses of his glasses. A goofy, lopsided grin was smeared across his face with excitement as he sat up in bed; his eyes flickering. He was way too awake for eleven at night.

I swallowed nervously. "I was right about _what_?"

Averman let himself fall back onto his pillow and let out a long breath. "_Everything_. You, my friend, are brilliant."

I frowned and took off my coat and hung it up on the hook on the back of our door and walked over to my bed, slipping off my shoes. "Um. . . Thanks?" I scratched the back of my neck and looked over at Averman who was intently staring at our textured ceiling with the same goofy grin. "May I ask _why_ I have been given this . . . honor?"

"_The One_."

I blinked and stared at him. "The one _what_?" 

He looked over at me and sighed. "I found the One girl for me." He bit his lip nervously. "I know I've been on your case about there being no such thing, but I was wrong. There is a One for _all_ of us. I don't know if Josie is for you, as this girl is for me but, I know that she and I, _we_, are meant to be."

I forged a smile for my roommate as he returned to staring at the ceiling. "That's great! Where did you first see her?"

"The dining hall." He replied with a smile. "Luis forced me to go with him and hang out with some girls he knew, and she was there, in that group."

I smiled. "Well I'm glad that Luis Mendoza's dating service worked out for one of the Ducks. What's her name?"

Averman shrugged. "Dunno."

The smile on my face fell and shattered to the floor in awe of my roommate. "You're dating a girl and you don't even know her _name_?!" I yelped at him.

He sat up and rolled his eyes. "How could I know her name, if I haven't _talked_ to her?"

I shook my head. "Averman, you can't just decide that this is the girl for you if you haven't even spoken to her. For all you know she may be a hockey-hating, completely serious brain, and with a combination like that, you would drive each other crazy."

Averman shrugged and fell back onto his bed. "She isn't."

"And how do you know?" 

A smile crept onto his lips. "I just _know_ Banks. Its like this, I don't know the names of the stars in the sky right now, to know that they are beautiful. I don't know the exact amount of money in Bill Gates' bank account to know that he's filthy rich." He turned his head and looked over at me. "I may not know her now, but I _know_ that she's _the_ _One_."

I rubbing my face with my hands and stared at Averman. "Oh of all the things I've said, you listened to my 'the One' speech?" I groaned. "You could've listened to my 'get your projects done before the due date' speech, but no . . . just my luck too . . ." I grumbled to myself as I pulled off my shirt and tugged back the covers to my bed. 

"You're a genius Banks." Averman sighed happily. "Who would have ever thought that I, _Lester David Averman_, would ever fall in love?"

I rolled my eyes and crawled into bed. "Averman, you don't have the _right_ to talk about falling in love yet." I replied frustrated. "As soon as you learn her first name and something she is interested in, other than herself, you may. Until then, be quiet."

"Bank-sie . . . getting snippy . . . when Averman falls in loove . . ."

I glanced over at him and frowned. "I am not snippy."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah you are." He replied. "But, you know, in the Averman household, the famous saying was, '_when we aren't feeling sunny we_ . . ."

I groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."

He smiled and leaned against his headboard. "I believe the word is 'share'." He brought his thumb and index finger to his chin and began to stroke his non-existent beard. "So, Banks, _share_; what crawled up your butt and died?"

"Oh yes, I really want to '_share_' with you now." I scowled jokingly at him.

"I thought you may." He replied with a grin. "Now, more sharing; less evading."

A click in our lock interrupted our conversation and a male teacher opened the door a crack. "Lights out boys. Its 11:30."

"Yeah." Averman replied turning the light off quickly and rustling his covers as if he were trying to sleep. 

The door clicked closed and the lock turned, signaling that the teacher had left us. A rustling on the other side of the room filled the darkness. Suddenly a glaring light pierced my vision.

"Averman turn off the flashlight!"

Averman groaned and put the shining flashlight under his chin, casting shadows up his face like an eight year old telling a ghost story around a campfire. "So, are you going to tell me what made you so pissy?"

"No, I wasn't planning on it." I replied rolling over in my bed so my back was facing him.

"Fine." He scoffed. "Then you won't mind me practicing my beautiful singing voice." He cleared his throat. "**This is the song that never ends!! Yes it goes on and on my friends!! Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because this is the song that never ends!!**"

I groaned frustrated and pulled a pillow over my head.

"**Yes it goes on and on my friends! Some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they'll continue singing it forever just because this is the song that never ends!!**" Every note sang was scratchy and off tune.

I tossed in my bed and covered my head. God damn Averman and his psychological warfare!

"**Yes it goes**- _OW_!!" He stopped for a few seconds and my pillow was thrown back at me. "That was completely uncalled for!" He shot back. "And just for that, I'm going to change the song. What do you like better, _Spice Girls_ or _Hanson_?"

I shot out of bed and glared over at him. "You wouldn't dare!"

He narrowed his eyes as he shone the light in my eyes once again, making me squint uncontrollably in shock. "Because of my three little sisters, I know every word to _Mmm-Bop_, and I'm not afraid to use that knowledge to my advantage." He quickly stretched out on his bed and rested his rest on the wall. "Now you spill so I can sleep."

"How about we sleep and we can talk about this _tomorrow_?"

He cast his eyes at me threateningly. "If I have to sing _Hanson_, I'll murder you in your sleep."

I sighed and rested my chin in my hands. "You're evil."

"So I've been told." He replied quickly. "Remember, the quicker you spill, the quicker we can sleep."

I closed my eyes and opened them just as quickly realizing that I would fall asleep if I stayed that way. "I saw Josie with Will while I was sneaking into the building."

Averman frowned. "What do you mean with? Do mean with . . . or _with_?"

My brow furrowed. "What are you implying Averman?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Nothing. I'm not implying anything."

"She was kicking him out of her dorm room." I replied explaining myself, pushing my hair out of my eyes. "And I just don't like him around her."

"She's **not** your girlfriend anymore dude!"

I shot a glare at him furiously.

He nodded his head slowly. "Ok, I know it sucks. You've been broken up with and even though I've never been through it I know it sucks. But you have no say over who she does and doesn't see. You didn't have that power when you were going out with her and you don't have it _now_."

I rolled my eyes. "I know. But he's dangerous. I don't want him around her."

"Ok, you're also jealous. Maybe she really likes this guy. Maybe she's moving on." He replied in a calm voice. "And maybe you should too! I mean there must be _hundreds_ of girls in this school who wants to date the preppy star player on the JV hockey team!"

I rolled my eyes. "One, Josie hates Will. She is not moving on and she is most definitely not moving on with him. You got that?" I hissed at him sternly getting a quick nod in response from him. "And two, I don't want another girl. I want Josie."

Averman rolled his eyes. "Ok, so you want Josie. What in the blue hell are you going to do to get her to like you again? Serenade her in front of the girl's dorm? Dedicate all your goals to her? Write her love notes?"

I shrugged. "If I have to."

"You're kidding."

I shook my head. "I'm getting her back."

"How are you going to pull that one off, oh great one?" He replied sarcastically.

I grinned and turned over in my bed. "I don't know. But I'm the _genius_. I'll come up with something."

~*~

The sound of sharp blades sliding over fresh ices filled my ears as I walked into the arena. It was like magic. I loved that sound. 

Soft music coming from a cello filling the silence that took up the space between glides.

I walked out to the entrance and watched the lone skater, moving about the ice with grace and beauty. Every movement came from the heart and was in harmony with the music. I took a peaceful breath. This was the way the ice should be used.

I opened my eyes and watched the girl move from her starting position and gained speed along the edges of rink, and glided on a deep backwards outside edge with such confidence and ease. She stepped forward and took off, flying above the ice, like an angel, spinning in the air and landing gracefully backwards still on her feet.

Her shoulders were pushed back with such poise and perfection that it radiated off her. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She skated over to me and grabbed my hands and pulled me onto the ice, even though I protested. I was without my skates. 

"Adam, I missed you."

I stared into her twinkling hazel eyes and pushed a lock of her chestnut hair that had fallen from her tight bun behind her ear. "I'm so sorry. I was an idiot."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I should've told you."

"Nothing." I replied with utmost certainty. "You don't have to tell me anything you're not comfortable to speak about. It's you're choice because it is your life and I respect that."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me to a tight embrace, my fingers intertwining with the white silky outfit that hugged her gentle curves, burying her face into my shoulder. "I missed you too much."

I squeezed her tightly. "No need to, I'm right here."

***

My eyes shot open and I looked around. The room was pitch black and the only noises were Averman's soft snores. 

I would've given _anything_ for that dream to be real. 

I grabbed my watch off my night stand and pressed a button turning on the indigo on it. "12:30." I grumbled. I hadn't even gotten an hour of sleep yet. Since we had broken up, my sleep cycle had been screwed all to hell. 

I leaned up on my elbow and looked around the room as my eyes readjusted to the darkness. I hated being like this. Not just the sleep thing, but the guilt thing too, and not having Josie around. 

Had this been any normal weekend, Josie and I would have sat up for hours and fallen asleep in my room. 

But it _wasn't_. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day. We would've avoided each other all day like we had discussed and I would have picked her up from her dorm. She would have looked stunning, even though she would complain about having to wear a dress, and I would feel ridiculous in a suit. 

And we would go to this little Italian restaurant my mother had discovered years ago, whose prices were astronomical, but the food was worth it. The funny thing is that we would probably get into the parking lot, and realize that it was silly to pretend to be adults and end up going to some burger joint around the corner looking completely overdressed and end up laughing about it later.

But that wouldn't happen. 

Connie and Guy would be getting our dinner reservations and end up going to that burger joint around the corner. 

I would end up in my room, alone, finishing up an absolutely gigantic Spanish assignment that wasn't due for another two weeks at least and then try and catch the end of a hockey game on TV, before going to bed.

I live a pitiful existence, I decided. 

But what would Josie do?

A smile crept across my face. She always did say that the best time to develop pictures was on a holiday; the dark room is almost always vacant.

I closed my eyes knowing _exactly_ where I was going to finish up that Spanish assignment.

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A/N: Oh, the beginning so wrote itself! I was so proud! And then I got stuck. Yeah, it happens so, whatever. Anyways, my little introduction to my subplot (Yes, Averman has a crush!).Anyways, I'm going to rush through my Shout outs, because I'm so excited to hear your reviews!

Shout outs!!

Banks'-gurl-99: Hey there!! Oh, don't worry; everything will be explained next chapter. Yes, I leave things hanging for incentive for you to keep reading. What fun is it if everything gets tied up in a pretty bow after every chapter? The 'beatings' you speak of. Are you talking about what happened in 'Don't Speak', if you read it? Ok, I'll explain, Banks isn't going to tell anyone about it even though the Ducks know because a) he loves his dad, even if he is a jerk and b) he's got the notion in his head that his dad has changed. I'm not sure how much Phil Banks is going to be in his story (he had a bigger role in Don't Speak for sure) but I'm pretty sure that I'll have an appearance or two of him. Ok, I can't wait to hear from you again! Later!

OreoLine00: I'm not sure why I called Will, Will. I'm sorry. But it was just a name that was picked out of the air that sounded a little preppy. It has nothing to do with Prince William, (who I don't mind looking at myself. Boy did Harry and him get some good genes or what!)Or any other Will. It was complete luck of the draw. Yay, I'm glad you like them as friends and you'll see what Josie was doing! Just wait! Ok. Later!

Emily: Yet another person loving the new friendship between ex-Hawk and the Ducks. How cool is that! I was celebrating the fact that I didn't have writer's block at the beginning of this chapter. As soon as I stopped and actually began focusing I got it again. Gah! It's evil! I can't wait for your next review! Later!

Rach: Omigod! You're so perceptive! I so planned the different Adam! Normally Adam is quiet and reserved, but with Ryan, he's outgoing and a little cocky (ex: 'Because you knew I was the shit!'). Oh, I have tons of stories and I'm constantly remising with my friends! Like my friend once said, 'Remember the time you were in the talent show and both of the Katies decided to join a group of guys and play the YMCA and when you got on stage you realized that the other Katie didn't show up and Mike pulled off his tear-away pants and revealed a pair of leather chaps?' Oh yes, actually happened and it was terribly embarrassing. Ok, Averman doesn't have a girl, but a huge crush! But you know this already! You guessed it! Have you been reading my mind lately? Oh! And Will, you'll see what he was up to in chapters to come ok? You do make me laugh! I love writing author's notes back to you! You rock! I can't wait to hear from you! Later!

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey there! Wow! Another greatness chapter! Oh, and I thought I would say hi to all the 'other people' who might be reading this! By the way, you all rock! My reviewers and readers rock and that's super cool! *wipes brow* Thank God. I can sleep soundly knowing you'll never do that. Oh and for future reference, alcohol and gasoline are extremely flammable so throwing them on a fire to put it out, won't help. Yes more Larson and more Averman. I promise! Later!

Beaner- Hey there! Oh yeah, I'll forgive you for taking a little while to review! As long as I get it eventually. Oh and I promise to work on my patience too. OK, a) The point is to hate Will so there's nothing wrong with that and b) the point is to like Ryan so that's good that you do. Oh I know I hate them sooo much! I will probably never ever write a teen pregnancy story. In Don't Speak I wrote an 'assumed' pregnancy, so I'm no hypocrite either! And I don't think Guy would ever just walk out on any girl who was pregnant. Actually I don't think any of the Ducks have the characteristics to do that. It just seems really out of character when they are written that way. Oh and our telepathic powers really scare me. I'm terrified. Oh and I'm the same way with my friend Katie in my science class. Like someone asked how to calculate the distance traveled on a speed-time graph in physics and we both said area in complete sync. It was scary. I'll talk to you later on AIM. Byes!

OK everyone that's it! 

Review!

~Toodles

KatieGurl!


	17. The Difference between Dark and Light

Waking up early when I didn't have hockey practice was always a struggle for me. Knowing that there was almost a 100% chance of getting yelled at also didn't exactly motivate me to leave the warmth of my bed.  
  
However, Averman screaming in my ear, cursing the man who invented the alarm clock did make me move out of that doomed dorm room before he remembered that I was the one who set it for 6:30 on a Saturday. I decided that I would avoid him most of the day, knowing that if I saw him, I would be listening to a rant for about an hour or so.  
  
Yes... I think listening to Josie yell at me about how I messed up would be a whole lot more productive than listening to Averman rant. But, you never know; I could be wrong.  
  
As I walked down the dusty stairs into the basement and through the filthy storage space that hid the creaky old door to the dark room, I had this feeling of impending doom. Ok, maybe I'm a little dramatic when I say that, but surprising a person who doesn't really like you at the moment in a dark dirty space that resembled a closet, isn't exactly the perkiest place to meet. But I calmly knocked on the door, after learning; time and time again from Josie, who had lost at least one roll of film from me forgetting to do so and opened the door when I had received no answer.  
  
When comparing the rest of Eden Hall to its dark room, you might think that you had entered another building. Well first of all, the room had three sinks on a long marble counter along the back wall and one didn't work, another gave a rusty orange drip and the last barely worked. In the middle there was a large dusty island that had obviously had been brought down when this room had been changed from a janitor's closet to a dark room and around the room, a clothes line or fishing line or something where you could hang up pictures was low and you had to be careful not to walk into it. And there were not lights, for obvious reasons, except for a couple black lights, that the students (more often Josie, than others) had to replace themselves because photography wasn't a funded extra-curricular activity.  
  
I pulled up a rickety stool from the corner of the room and cleared off a spot on the island and put down my bag with a thump, the dust flying in all directions. I coughed at little, thanking the Lord I did not have allergies. I pulled the cord attached the light bulb on the ceiling making a dull purple-ish glow cast over me and my bag.  
  
I collapsed on the wooden stool that rocked jaggedly under my weight. "Well this is just great." I muttered to myself. "While I wait for Josie I can suffocate on dust." The light flickered above me and I glared at it. "Don't even start with me." I threatened at the inanimate object that flickered once more and continued to glow.  
  
Hesitating, I opened my backpack and pulled out my notebook and Spanish textbook opening them to the pages necessary and began reading them over. Doing homework on Valentine's Day. How sad was that? I mean, the teachers didn't even assign homework for this weekend. They didn't even ask for us to hand anything in! And yet here I am, in a dimly lit room doing work that doesn't need to be done yet.  
  
I need a life.  
  
Or a girlfriend.  
  
Either way.  
  
~*~  
  
I rested my head in my right hand and flipped the page to my novel with my left. The impending doom feeling left around 8:00 and boredom set in around 7:30. I blinked lazily felt as if time had slowed down to a turtle's pace. My watch beeped startling me as it told me it was 9am.  
  
By now, Julie and Guy were up and in about fifteen minutes Luis would get up and startle his roommate Goldberg, making him, get out of bed as well. Dwayne was already up. He was usually up around 7 and when he was homesick he was up around dawn. More than once, have I bumped into him around the grounds, during a morning jog.  
  
I wasn't sure how I could remember this, I just did. I liked little facts that I could remember. I liked knowing routines. For some reason consistency was like a security blanket for me.  
  
I flipped the page after not reading it for at least 2 minutes and began to not read my fresh page.  
  
A quiet knock interrupted my thoughts and I sat up straight. I wasn't sure if I should answer the knock or if I should just sit here. I decided on the latter and pulled the chain allowing the pitch black take over the space around me.  
  
The door squealed open allowing a little bit of light from the dull lights from the joining room. I couldn't see much but I could make out a female's silhouette. My mouth seemed to get immediately dry as I wondered who it was, and hoped it was the one girl that I wanted to talk to. I tip toed myself into one of the back corners and kept quiet as the girl moved about the room making her way to where the light was.  
  
Click.  
  
"Holy Shit!!"  
  
I swallowed and smiled at Josie who stood still hanging onto the cord that was attached to the light. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a transport truck. "Hey there." I croaked nervously.  
  
She breathed deeply trying to calm herself. "Banks, what the hell are you doing here in the dark?!" She yelped at me, letting go of the cord and tugging at the collar of her T-shirt.  
  
"Uh. . . it's a dark room." I internally slapped myself for coming up with something sounding so stupid.  
  
She shook her head and glared at me angrily. "Ok, but what are you doing here!"  
  
I blinked at her nervously. "Developing pictures?"  
  
"Ugh!!" She groaned frustrated. "Adam! You don't know how to manually develop pictures and you only own a digital camera, so you don't need to!"  
  
"Au contraire! I replied trying to sound suave but instead sounding completely stupid. "I just happened to buy a camera with actual film and I'm actually down here hoping someone would show me how." I grinned charismatically and waited for her response.  
  
She blinked at me annoyed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'll come back when you aren't here." She turned on her heel and retreated for the door snatching her bag off the floor, not stopping for even a fraction of a second.  
  
"Wait!" I yelped leaving my bag behind be and rushing after her grabbing onto her arm just as she was walking through the door. "I was kind of hoping you would show me." I put on my best puppy pouting face and blinked innocently. No one could resist the puppy face.  
  
"Well, you see, I don't want to talk to you or be around you and teaching you how to, are direct contradictions of both so no." She replied in one breath. She quickly shook off my hand and headed straight for the stairs.  
  
Ok, let be rephrase my last thought. No one could resist the puppy face except her.  
  
"Josie; wait please!" I yelped rushing after her and grabbing onto the railing beside the stairs, pulling myself up the first step and watching her beeline for the door. "Josie, will you please stop? The least you can do is talk to me. You don't even have to talk. You just have to listen. Just for a minute. Please!"  
  
She hesitated at the top step and turned around to face me crossing her arms and shifting all of her weight onto one foot. "Listening." She replied aggravated.  
  
I stepped down from the stoop and gestured for her to join me. "Can we have a little bit less distance between us?"  
  
She exhaled angrily and her feet gently patted the steps, barely making a noise as she walked down them. "Fine, let's get one thing clear though. I don't want to be here."  
  
I nodded. "It's clear. Crystal."  
  
I looked me up and down and licked her lips. "Ok, speak then. Let's get this over with."  
  
"Ok, well first of all I'm sorry."  
  
She rubbed her forehead as soon as I said it as if the words gave her an instant headache. She opened her eyes realizing I had stopped. "Is that it?"  
  
I shook my head. "And I wanted to say that I missed you even though I know that you don't miss me-"  
  
She held her hand up quickly. She wore a confused frown, her brow furrowing. "I never said that." She interjected quickly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I never said that I didn't miss you." Josie repeated much to her dismay.  
  
I licked my lips and stared at her intently, pinching my arm to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. "You didn't." I replied as soon as I realized that pinched my arm hurt. "Then what did you say?"  
  
"I-I. . ." She stuttered over her words. "I don't know." Her hazel eyes seemed to burn into mine. "Why are you making this so hard? We had barely gone out for a month. You should be over me by now." She snapped, casting her eyes to the dusty ground.  
  
I shrugged my left shoulder. "We never really gave it a real shot."  
  
She widened her eyes but stayed focused on her feet. "Yeah well that isn't my fault, is it?"  
  
I shook my head. "How many times do I have to say I'm sorry until you believe me?! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I took a step toward her. "Josie I'm sorry!"  
  
"Adam! I can't believe you!" She yelped back at me. "I can't trust you anymore! How the hell am I supposed to be able to believe anything you say if I can't trust you?"  
  
"Well, how am I supposed to trust you when you're sneaking around with Will in the middle of the night?!" I tried to catch myself before I said anything but. . .  
  
Her eyes widened. "You were spying on me?" She spat. "Oh yeah, I really trust you now."  
  
I shook my head. "Not spying. I was sneaking in through one of Fulton's friend's windows and I 'overheard' you and Will."  
  
"Sounds like bull."  
  
"Which parts?"  
  
She blinked. "All of it."  
  
I immediately became defensive. "Well its not!"  
  
She raised both of her shoulders. "Prove it!" She rushed toward the door climbing up the stairs two at a time.  
  
I ran after her and was caught up to her a couple feet away from the door. I gripped onto her wrist stopping her in her tracks. "Ask Charlie. He was there. Ask Fulton. You trust Fulton!" I yelped at her, lowering my voice as a teacher looked out of the Science Department's door.  
  
"They're your friends!" She replied angrily.  
  
"They're yours too!" I snapped back at her. "They are still your friends and so am I; I still want to be more. You miss me, just give me another chance!"  
  
"No!"  
  
I took a breath. "If I have to sleep outside your door every night I will until you admit that you still love me, and I know you do so don't even try to deny that, I will." I stated completely seriously.  
  
"Love doesn't mean anything without trust Adam!" She yelled at me, her face falling painfully. She wiped her eyes before a tear could fall from them. "Look, it's really sweet of you to be watching out for me after we broke up. Not many guys would do that, but I want you to stop ok?" She licked her lips and cast her eyes to the floor. "Just stop. I'm a big girl I can look after myself."  
  
"But Will, he-"  
  
"He visited me and as soon as I realized he was here I kicked him out. I basically had to drag him out of my room." She interrupted me quickly. "Don't worry about him, or about me. If it's possible forget about me ok? Just forget it."  
  
I blinked completely shocked. "Forget it? Forget what, exactly?" I shot back at her. "Forget us you mean? I can't do that. I reject that idea."  
  
Josie shook her dark hair out of her eyes. "And what options do you give me? It's either we get together or we get together!"  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Have you not listened to a word I said? I can't trust you Adam! I feel like a broken record! Listen to me because I'm not going to repeat it. I don't trust you. I can't."  
  
I frowned, focusing on her pained face. "Well what am I supposed to do to prove that otherwise?"  
  
"Nothing!" She yelped.  
  
I shook my head. "I want a second chance! I want it to be different!"  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and gazed at me calmly. "That's the thing," She whispered. "Adam, you only get one chance, in life, in love, and after that you have to live with the consequences. There are no second chances. There are no take-backs."  
  
"But there are new beginnings." I replied. "A person can start over. Let me start over. Let us start over."  
  
She shrugged. "Adam we can't start over. We know too much about each other. You know that." She swallowed. "And I don't mean just the diary thing. I mean everything. Our families, our likes and dislikes, friends, jokes. It's impossible."  
  
I bit my lip. "So is this forever? You pretend I don't exist and I watch you from afar?"  
  
"It's for now; until the hurt is gone." She replied simply. "It hurts too much."  
  
I nodded carefully and allowed her to walk away, watching her until she reached the end of the long hall and walked through a pair of heavy doors. It was going to hurt for a long time and I didn't want to wait. I wanted to be with her.  
  
I walked down the rickety stairs and into the basement storage space, running my fingers along an unused desk making three long streaks across it with the tips of my fingers and brushing my hands off on my pants. I looked up at the shelves stacked with old, out of date textbooks that were hidden away.  
  
I wondered if Josie and I would be like that. Forgotten; hidden away like an embarrassment in the basements of our minds to collect a thick layer of dust and never to be remembered. If we would never look upon our relationship ever again.  
  
I knew I would.  
  
But would she?  
  
Did I mean anything to her or was I just a distraction until she fit in and found her way through the halls on her own? She meant something to me. She still did.  
  
She knew my story; my whole story until this point. I didn't want her chapter to end.  
  
~  
  
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A/N: Wow! That took a while to get out. I kind of knew what I wanted to happen, but it was hard to get out. The dialogue just didn't want to come to me. One of those unfair moments. Oh! And I'm celebrating. I'm going on this trip with one of my best friends and I'll be missing about 2 days of school for it and that is so cool! So, on the 27 of May (which is a Thursday, I think) until the Saturday, there will be no updates. That's just a little heads up for you. I'll remind you guys the update before I leave. However, I will be writing on this trip so I'll probably have a chapter up when I come back so no worries. Another reason why I'm taking so long on my updates is because I've opened a website completely dedicated on the Ducks (whoo! Go me!) Anyways, I'm still working on it so it's a work in progress. The site is listed in my profile! You're welcome to visit! And sign the guestbook while you're at it!  
  
Shout outs!  
  
OreoLine00- Hey! Oh! No worries! My paws are off Prince Harry, for now, seeing I've never met him, probably never will meet him and well... your friend and probably countless other girls have called dibs on him and I would be beaten to a bloody pulp if I did touch him. But no doubt about it, he's a beautiful red-head and his brother... *drools* *blinks and straightens up in seat* I mean... yeah he's ok too... Yeah, I'm trying to tone down the drama drama drama, but you know it's kind of hard. Hopefully this chapter wasn't as uneventful as the last. Thanks and Later!  
  
Emily- What, you think I don't want reviews or something? *scoffs* You should see me after I post. I'm basically on my computer every hour on the hour to make sure that no one has read my chapter and reviewed. I agree. It is the root of all evil. That and cats. *blinks* That's a different story. Yes, I love writing Averman, he is so versatile and I can let out my very twisted humor, which many of my reviewers are enjoying!! I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this one! Later!!  
  
Erica- I haven't heard from you for a while, have I? *squee* But you're back! *squee*!! I love writing Averman and it's obvious that you guys love reading him like that! It's so nice to hear things like that! Averman comes really naturally to me. *looks down* Mainly because I have Averman's humor and his rants. You know how he's constantly told to be quiet? Yeah, that's me at school. Lmao! Omigod! Banksie and Josie are your favorite couple? Omigod, if you were in front of me I would so hug you! You are too sweet! Well keep reading and we'll see what happens. Ok? Thanks and Later! *squee!!*  
  
Rach- You think it's sweet that I love your reviews? Well I think it's sweet that you love my story! You are an amazing reviewer! You belong in the 'Hall of Best Reviewers Ever'. *blinks* I think that's in Minnesota. Uh, yeah the leather chaps actually happened and the bass player in our mini 'band' had it on tape too, until his mother taped over it. Oh and Averman's story line will be back next chapter. *grins evilly* And Averman will have... some... 'fun' to say the least. Omg, I was so bored and I just started typing the Song that never ends over and over and I somehow or another incorporated it into the story. And I think I agree with you. The punishment for singing 'Hanson' in the middle of the night should be death, by CDs. We'll pummel them with the hundreds of discarded Hanson CDs. Anyways, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
  
Beaner- Hey there. Oh, Kate, you're too nice. Last chapter is one of your top favorite chapters? Yes, you're completely sugar coating it. I can feel the cavities coming on. Well I'm glad you liked my burger joint ramble. I was like 'ok, must finish off this chapter...' and I started rambling about completely unusual, unimportant stuff. And sorry, I have no clue why you were up so early. I do that too on weekends sometimes, and I usually end up writing for HOURS on end until the rest of my family wakes up and asks me if I pulled an all-nighter; which of course I wouldn't because I love my sleep. Anyways, that's it. Later!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Damn that school. lol! Anyways, I'm glad you liked my last chapter and I promise more Averman next chapter. Larson will have to wait about 2 more ok? OH and Hi to anyone who may (or may not be) reading over your shoulder. Ok well I have nothing else to work with sooo... Later!  
  
REVIEW!  
  
~Toodles!  
  
KatieGurl 


	18. Mystery Girl, Mystery Boy

Dedicated to: Jocie! Yes Jocie, this chapter is for you!! Keep it forever!! Feel better!  
  
~*~  
  
I wandered around the halls in my own world afraid of reality. In all honestly, reality bites. My reality at the moment was a hallway full of reminders that a lot of people were coupled up and I was freshly broken up. Ah yes, the smell of defeat. How I haven't missed your rotten stench. I glanced around and saw a couple sprawled out in a corner making out like there was no tomorrow. I grimaced. Some people had no idea that certain types of P.D.A. are disgusting to the innocent bystander.  
  
I sighed and continued walking. The corridors seemed to reach on into eternity however I finally made it to the dining hall after stepping over a couple more face-sucking monsters... Did I actually think that? I mean; other hormone-driven, Valentine's Day loving, impressive lung capacity teenagers. My stomach grumbled as I pushed open the heavy doors and looked around the room. It was slightly emptier than any other day, mainly because it was a weekend and a holiday but there were a good number of people there. A lot of the Ducks weren't there, (example: Charlie left early this morning to surprise his mom. Something about some tradition with her that they have done since he was old enough to remember), but a good number were.  
  
"Banks! I need you to come with me." An arm wrapped around my neck and I looked over at Averman who smiled at me with his eyes pleading me with no self-respect.  
  
I groaned. "Go where?" I glanced over at the cafeteria line. They were serving heart shaped pancakes with syrup and strawberries. My stomach rumbled.  
  
He pointed with his free arm over at a table that was a far distance away from the Duck's and the cafeteria line.  
  
I looked over at the line again. "Food..." I whined quietly.  
  
Averman groaned and began to pull be past the line. "Come on Banks, you sound like Goldberg."  
  
I huffed and turned my head, watching it as we pasted. "But I'm so hungry. I didn't eat much dinner! Please, just let me get something, anything..."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "If you come with me I'll buy you a cookie." He snapped pushing me along.  
  
"Better be a big one." I grumbled as I watched the Cafeteria ladies close the line until lunch. My stomach bubbled angrily.  
  
"Whatever." He replied as we walked up to the table that was crowded by a group of average looking girls. I recognized a couple from my classes. I said hi to my assigned lab partner, Kim, from last semester and waited for Averman to give the signal.  
  
He didn't.  
  
I cleared my throat and smiled. "Hey, do you mind if we hang out with you guys?"  
  
One of the girls looked around at each other and nodded. "Sure." One of them replied. "Aren't you two on the hockey team?"  
  
Averman nodded as we sat down in the spots that they had cleared. "Yeah, JV. I'm Les Averman, and this is Adam Banks." I thanked Jesus that he finally spoke up. I did not want to do all the talking.  
  
"Weren't you with Luis yesterday?" One asked Averman, who nodded excitedly, glad someone recognized him.  
  
"Oh I remember you." One of them pointed at me and brushed her dark blond hair off her shoulder. "You played on the Varsity hockey team for a while, didn't you?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah. And you are?"  
  
"Oh!" She yelped. "I'm Elaine Hoffman, but just call me Laney ok?" She replied sweetly. "And the rest of us are Kimberly, Amanda and Christina, or Kim, Mandy and Tina." She said pointing at the three other girls.  
  
I nodded and looked over at Averman who looked over at me with a nervous expression.  
  
"No offence, but why are you here?" Laney asked pushing aside her dishes from breakfast and rested her elbow on the tabled and rubbed her neck.  
  
I glanced over at Averman who stared at me, begging me to come up with something. I shot him back a look that screamed 'NO!' He sighed in response and smiled. "No reason, just wanted to meet new people."  
  
The girl beside Averman raised a sculpted eyebrow and shook her head and swirled the soggy cereal in her bowl with a spoon.  
  
My stomach rumbled quietly and tried to focus on the task in front of me: talking to a group of four girls that I only knew vaguely.  
  
Suddenly, from behind Laney a large, brute of guy, that I wouldn't be surprised if he communicated in grunting, wrapped his arms around her middle and squeezed her in a big bear hug. She squeaked in response; from either the pressure or the surprise and turned around, kissing his cheek. "Hi Bobby!"  
  
I glanced over at Averman whose face fell as soon as she kissed him.  
  
Laney turned around and got her friend to move over a set. "Oh, Adam, Les, this is my boyfriend Bobby Jones. Bobby, this is Adam and Les, they're on the JV hockey team."  
  
Her blinked his dark eyes and nodded. "Yeah I think I've seen a couple of your games. You're good, I guess."  
  
I exchanged looks with Averman. He guesses? How can you guess? It's pretty obvious if your team is good or not.  
  
"Yeah, we're pretty good. We did win Regionals." Averman mumbled quietly and avoided Laney's eyes.  
  
Bobby shrugged. "Wouldn't know. I don't really like hockey. I only went because Laney likes it." He turned to his girlfriend and smiled, throwing an arm over her shoulder and smiles. "I only play football."  
  
Averman seemed to be eying Bobby's arm over Laney's shoulder with severe hatred. "Maybe you should learn how to play before you judge it." He replied between gritted teeth.  
  
"No, I'm fine thanks." Bobby replied with a grin.  
  
Laney's eyes widened. "Actually, I don't even know how to skate. Do you think you could show me?" She bit her lip and smiled a very innocent, very sweet smile.  
  
I could almost hear the wheels of a scheme moving in Averman's brain. "Absolutely!" He replied with a wide grin. "I'd love to teach you!"  
  
"Oh my God! This is going to be so fun!" She replied with a smile that matched Averman's. "So how about tomorrow? I could meet you at the arena at eleven; we skate for an hour, have lunch and try again after!"  
  
Averman nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds great!" He looked over at me and smiled. "Actually, we have to go so, I'll see you tomorrow, what size shoe are you?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
Averman nodded. "And I'll bring you skates! Later!" He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the seat and pulled me out of the dining hall.  
  
I rubbed my arm and groaned. "Thanks, for almost pulling my arm out of the socket." I grumbled and glared at Averman who was peeking through the glass doors of the dining hall. He wasn't paying attention to me.  
  
"Yeah no problem." He replied, his face almost pressed against the glass, trying to steal a glance from Laney who was probably excited about learning to skate.  
  
Grabbing his arm, I whipped him around. "You like Laney. Isn't that cute?" I pouted and batted my eyelashes mocking his crush.  
  
"Shut up!" He yelped and spun back around to look through the glass. "She seems nice, no?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah she does seem nice."  
  
He looked back at me and smiled. "And she likes hockey! That's a major plus! And she isn't stuck up or anything."  
  
"Yeah great."  
  
He leaned against the wall and frowned. "And that boyfriend of hers is all kinds of wrong for her, am I right?"  
  
I shrugged and watched him as he began to walk away from the dining hall towards the exit. I blinked and rushed after him. "Hey you owe me a cookie!"  
  
~*~  
  
I sat down on the bus beside Averman and leaned back in the seat looking up at the metallic-y ceiling that reflected a distorted version of me.  
  
"And her eyes: I didn't know that eyes could be that blue!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Averman! Be quiet. I get it. He eyes are as blue as a summer sky and her hair resembles the sun. Can we not talk about her looks for five seconds?" I snapped at him quickly. "How about, silence?"  
  
Averman shrugged and slouched down in his seat and looked up at the ceiling also. "Silence. Pfft . . . simple. You want silence; you got silence."  
  
I nodded and closed my eyes. We were going to the old hockey shop to pick up a pair of skates for Laney and then over to Goldberg's parent's deli, in hopes of finding me something to eat, on Averman of course. The shop was only three stops away so we knew exactly when to get up.  
  
"Ok, what kind of name is Bobby? Is it me or is that the biggest jock cliché name since the beginning of time or what? Oh and he plays football! Did I tell you that! He's the probably the All-American preppy, good for nothing son of some major special person on the board that tried to kick us out! And he hates hockey! How in the blue hell can you hate hockey at this school? I mean come on. The two major sports here are hockey and football, there is no way you can hate one of them! It's it against the code of conduct at this school. Thou shalt not hate hockey at Eden Hall! And he's like five times bigger than me! I swear to God he could crush me like the little red-head bug I am. Of course he has the girl I want. It's like the high school movie cliché of the century and I'm like . . . Ducky."  
  
I looked over at him. "I know you're a Duck."  
  
He rolled his eyes. "No I mean, like Ducky, in Pretty in Pink."  
  
"You watched Pretty in Pink?" I snorted shaking my head at him.  
  
He frowned. "Hey, shut up. I lived with four women until I moved into the dorms. I had to watch a lot of chick flicks alright?"  
  
I shrugged and leaned back in my seat. "Whatever. Anyways, explain."  
  
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Ducky was the best friend of the girl who was in love with the popular preppy rich guy on the right side of town and Ducky was the unpopular, awkward guy who was in love with his friend."  
  
I shrugged. "So?"  
  
"The girl ends up with the rich guy." Averman explained. "So according to movies, I have no chance with her."  
  
I raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "And you make assumptions from the outcomes of movies? You do know that girls are nothing like the girls in movies. They are all different and have different sides to them. They aren't just two dimensional characters."  
  
"I know that. Remember, I have three little sisters and the older two would murder me if I thought otherwise." He replied spitefully. "Besides, I didn't say I thought that, I'm just saying that from a theoretical standpoint-"  
  
"Averman, I'm not in the greatest mood at the moment and you also directed me away from food when I was, and still am, hungry and now we are shopping for skates for a person neither of us know very well." I said harshly, silencing him. "So, I don't think I could listen to your theoretical standpoint without hitting over the head, repeatedly, with a hockey stick."  
  
He swallowed nervously and nodded as the bus came to a third stop. We got up, grabbed our stuff and exited the bus as quickly as we could beginning our short journey to Jan's Hockey Shop that Charlie's mother also partially owned.  
  
"So what do you want to talk about?" He asked quietly, kicking a pebble down the sidewalk and shoving his hands into his jeans pockets and focusing on his chucks. His head jerked and he grinned. "Any updates on the Josie and Adam report?"  
  
"Well let's see." I replied, playing along. "Well, she hated me a lot, when we talked, she still hated me, and now she just hates me."  
  
He widened his eyes and pushed his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. "Wow." He replied. "Well what is she really angry about? You reading her diary thing, or the fact that you kept it from her?"  
  
I shrugged. "Both I guess."  
  
"Well, they are both stupid reasons." Averman scoffed. "I mean you love each other right?"  
  
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she still loves me."  
  
He nodded. "Well then you should be together. It's just that simple." He plainly stated. "Love, together, love, together." He emphasized each word with a little hand gesture.  
  
I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. "I remember a little less than a week ago when you said that I should move on."  
  
He raised one of his shoulders lazily. "Well, I guess that after the little time of finding out the girl I like is accounted for, I figured that you have to love what is possible."  
  
I nodded. "So does this mean we don't have to get the skates and we can get me lunch?" I grinned greedily.  
  
His head jerked to stare at me. "No! Where did you get that impression?"  
  
"But you just said 'love what is possible' and at the moment, it isn't possible to be in a relationship with Laney."  
  
He smirked. "Exactly. At the moment." He pushed open the doors to Jan's shop and gestured me to enter.  
  
I stopped in front of the door and looked at his face. "Averman, you have the 'I'm planning a stupid scheme' look in your eyes and I suggest you tell me what you're going to do before you do it."  
  
He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "I have never had a stupid scheme in my life, thank you very much."  
  
I blinked at him. "Well you're schemes have been perfectly harmless in the past. Dog poop, stray stench, hiding my pants, putting whip cream in my shoes. . ."  
  
He grinned. "You had to wear Charlie's shoes all day because you didn't have time to get it out of the toes." He shook his head. "Good times."  
  
I frowned at him. "But this is involving someone's relationship! For all we know they may be really happy!"  
  
Averman scoffed and walked in the door and I followed him in there. "Please! She's a hockey fan! How can she be in love with a person that doesn't like hockey?"  
  
I shrugged. "Maybe they have other interests. They like the same books maybe?"  
  
Averman laughed. "I'm quite sure that the last book 'Bobby' read was Curious George!"  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe they like the same type of movies."  
  
"Look at me Banks." He said turning around, his face looking completely emotionless. "Does this look like a face that cares?" He paused for a minute and shrugged. "Laney is my One. I can tell and she can tell too. I'm her One. I mean, why would she agree to learn how to skate from a guy she barely knows?"  
  
I watched him as he walked up to the cash and called for Jan. He did have a point. Why would she agree to allow him to teach her how to skate without even really knowing him?  
  
I walked over to Averman and leaned on the counter waiting for Jan to finish up sharpening a skate.  
  
He smiled. "There were sparks, man. Just you wait. Laney and Les will be a couple in no time."  
  
I smirked and shook my head and looked around the old hockey shop. Averman always was a good distraction.  
  
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A/N: Hey all! Ohmigod!! Amazing week, or at least Friday! I just thought I would tell you all that I'm in a really good mood, so any review would be welcomed right now! Oh and this chapter is for Jocie. She deserves it and I hope you of all people enjoyed it ok?  
  
Shout outs!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey all who may be reading over Squid's shoulder!! Yay for updates is right! I hope you liked it! Yes! Lots of Averman this chapter! I love writing him (as I've told you before!) so I basically based the whole thing on his little subplot with Adam/Josie undertones! Are you guys fans of my Averman? AWESOME!! Oh, have you ever thought of just (I know it may seem radical but...) lending one of the Duck's movies to Justin? *shrug* Whatever. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I hope (like hell) you enjoy this one! *crosses fingers* Ok! Later!  
  
Emily- Hey, I used to do that all the time! In the middle of careers class (I don't know where you live so I'm assuming you're American here, Careers class is just some useless class they make grade 10's go through in Canada) I would log onto a computer and check my mail for reviews! And the cool part was that I never got caught (Go me!)! Yup, first encounter in a little bit, but (if you're counting *fake* days here) its only been about 2 days since he's tried to talk to her and he does see her in math class everyday so yeah. Thanks for the review! Later!!  
  
OreoLine00- OH I bet you were so excited to visit paperclip boy again! I know I would be. But I'm sure he learned his lesson. However, with kids like that they can always find a new and interesting way to injure themselves, no? Anyways, thanks for the review. I'm glad you liked last chapter and I how you like this one!  
  
Rach- Hey there!! Oh I bet your hair looks amazing! I'm glad you liked my site (cough sign the guestbook cough). It's my excuse on why I haven't been updating so often! Multitasking is cool! Ever tried watching a Duck movie, writing a scene for your latest Duck fiction, doing your homework and talking to your best friend trying to convince her that the Duck movies are the best in the world, over the phone? *nods* Oh yeah. I am the Queen of Multitasking. I'm glad you liked last chapter. It was fun to write. Lots a tension. Hmmm... I think I may have to make the 'Best reviewer of all time' Hall of fame for my site. I could even feature some of the reviews... *blinks* Maybe it will be a future addition to my site, but for now, I'm busy so that will have to go on hold. Oh yes. Woe is me... boring reviews... JUST KIDDING! I love everyone's reviews, especially yours. There are no boring ones. Except flames, but I don't think I've ever really gotten one before. Anyways, thanks so much and I hope you like this (very Averman, how is he anyways?) chapter! Later!  
  
Banks'-gurl-99- Hey there. Well, there will definitely be another hockey chapter. I'm not exactly sure when (hopefully soon. I'm itching to write one!). I'm glad you liked last chapter and it was a little sad wasn't it? Guess all you like. I'm not exactly sure when Josie and Adam (if they do, I'm not sure) get back to together and I'm not sure how either. So we'll see ok? Come back soon!  
  
Beaner- Hey there Katie! I was like, I wonder when Katie is going to review and you never did! I can't believe I had to remind you! You're the one who is usually reminding me to post!! My ending was deep? That doesn't happen very often. It seems to only happen when I can't get my ending right. I'm glad you liked it! I guess it was sad. I wasn't trying for it to be, but whatever. Whatever floats your boat. Again, with the deepness. Oh, and make sure that Jocie reads this chapter ok? Please? For me? Thanks so much and I hope you like this chapter! Jocie and Ash too! Later!!  
  
OK everyone that's it! Hope you enjoyed it!  
  
REVIEW!  
  
~Toodles  
  
Katie-Girl! 


	19. Lunch Blackmail and Babies

It felt as though no time had passed in the Goldberg's Deli. It still had out the pictures of us in pee wees and the forever standing picture of Goldberg on the front counter by the cash register with the words 'Our Son, the Goalie' scribed beneath even though he was a defensemen now. Goldberg had told me once that his mother had a more recent picture of him and the team in the back, near the kitchen but the customers knew him as the 'goalie' so it stayed there.  
  
Mrs. Goldberg handed us our lunches, and a pair of cookies on the house, but not before announcing that we were Ducks and part of her son's hockey team and that we were friends of her son to the crowded shop. Averman and I slunk into a small booth and ate in complete silence, praying that no one would come up to us and begin to speak to us out of the blue.  
  
After a few minutes we felt more at ease and began speaking openly again.  
  
"So what exactly are you going to do about it?" Averman asked taking a large bite of his sandwich and washing it would with a large gulp of coke.  
  
I frowned at him and replied skeptically. "What am I going to do about what?"  
  
"Josie." He replied in between bites and rolled his eyes.  
  
I shrugged. "Do what she asked. Leave her alone."  
  
He snorted and pushed aside his plate. "Amateur." He crossed his arms and leaned back in the booth. "You have no idea how to deal with women."  
  
I shook my head and slid my dish to the end of the table. "And you do?"  
  
He rubbed his nails on his plaid shirt and smirked knowingly. "I just happen to be an expert on the subject, Banksie."  
  
I laughed and closed my eyes. "If you're such an expert; why is it that Mendoza has girls basically falling at his feet, and you don't lover-boy?"  
  
Averman rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows that if you reach your dating prime before you're twenty you are more likely to be in dead end relationships than those who reach their prime after they are twenty."  
  
I shook my head and played along with it. "Ok whatever Averman. So tell me what I'm doing so wrong, oh great and mighty one?"  
  
He stretched his arms across the table and cracked his neck. "You're going about the whole thing wrong. First of all, you're not reading between the lines. When a girl says there is nothing wrong, there is something wrong, and when they say 'Leave me alone you jerk' she means-"  
  
"Pull me into your arms and let's cuddle all night?" I laughed. Averman had seriously watched too many chick flicks. His brain must've turned to mush or something.  
  
He grinned. "Now you're getting it."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "I doubt that's what Josie meant. She doesn't want to talk to me and I'm going to respect the fact that we need space because she's probably right." I admitted. "There is too much tension between us and even if something happened with us right now, it would be awkward and I don't want that."  
  
A smile crept across Averman's face. "She said she didn't want to talk to you, right?"  
  
I frowned and nodded. "Yeah, your point?"  
  
"But she didn't say she didn't want to talk to . . . not you, right?"  
  
I blinked and tried to sort out exactly what Averman was saying. "Averman, I can deal with this myself, so I want you to hear me clearly ok? Do not bother her ok? I want you to repeat that. 'I will not bother Josie, Banks.' Tell me that ok?"  
  
Averman rolled his eyes, frowning. "I'm not a three year old."  
  
"Tell me it Averman. 'I will not bother Josie, Banks'. Say it okay?" I ordered of him, wearing a hardened face.  
  
He sighed and leaned back into the booth, his shoulders slumping. "I will not bother Josie, Banks." He grumbled under his breath. "Okay, are you happy now?"  
  
I nodded. "Very."  
  
He nodded and got out of the booth and laid a large tip on the table. "Good because I need to go back to the dorm and start thinking about lesson plans."  
  
"Adam! Wake up!"  
  
I grunted and felt a weight on my nose. I pushed my novel off my face and sat leaned on my pillow to look at whoever interrupted my peaceful slumber, for once. "What happened? Am I late for class?" I moaned, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.  
  
Guy looked down at me with a frown. "Dude, you're sleeping on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, with a book on your face. You needed to be woken up."  
  
I sighed and blinked at him. "It's Valentine's Day; what the hell are you doing here?"  
  
He rolled his eyes and pulled up my desk chair and swiveled it around and sat on it backwards. "Connie and I broke up, again, and she called an 'anti- Valentine's Day' day on me. She's hanging out with Julie and insisting on wearing some shirt with a broken heart on it and I'm not allowed to talk to her until her 'anti-Valentine's Day' day is over, which is in exactly 10 hours." He replied in a lengthy response.  
  
I nodded and shaded my eyes from the afternoon sun the streamed in through the blinds. "Ok, but why are you here?"  
  
He shrugged and smiled. "Oh you know, I figured, who would also be moping about not being with the girl he wants on Valentine's Day?"  
  
I summed up the evilest glare and shot it at him, full speed.  
  
He raised his hands in surrender, smirking. "Kidding! Averman is doing something 'super secret' in his terms, Dwayne, Kenny and Russ are out on dates, Charlie is in the city with his mom, the Bash Brothers are scoping out single girls at the mall and Goldberg is cooking a meal for Mendoza, so he has a decent date with his current girlfriend."  
  
I nodded and turned over, face-planting into my pillow. "Ah... process of elimination." I mumbled, but was barely audible.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
I turned so I was looking at him. "Never mind." I returned to planting my face in my pillow when Guy shook my shoulders roughly. I groaned and tried to swat him away but my efforts seemed to be in vain.  
  
"Banksie!! Come on! Get up! We'll be depressed together." He laughed standing over me.  
  
I looked over my shoulder at him and glared. "You're too happy to be depressed."  
  
He shrugged. "Yes, but that's life. And misery loves company. Look, you miserable, me company. It's perfect." He grinned and returned to sitting in my chair.  
  
"Misery loves miserable company." I corrected the old saying. "You aren't miserable."  
  
"Banks can you at least not have you're face into a pillow." He pleaded. "I've been bored out of my mind all day. This is all I ask of you for this day."  
  
I groaned and pulled my face out of my soft pillow and leaned against my wall staring Guy in the face. "Better now Mr. Germaine?"  
  
He nodded. "Yes, and don't call me that."  
  
I exhaled softly and blinked as the fatigue seemed to melt away and come back like tidal waves. I wasn't sure why I was so tired at the moment. Maybe I had too much stress. I yawned and closed my eyes and seemed to drift off in front of him.  
  
"Adam! You fall asleep and I will hurt you!"  
  
I opened my eyes wide and shook my head. "I'm just resting my eyes, Jesus!"  
  
"Yeah, and I'm King Guy the third of France." He replied with an un-amused look cast across his usual obliviously happy features. "So are you going to talk to me or am I going to have to drag whatever it is that is bothering you and practically rendering you unconscious, out of you, kicking and screaming?"  
  
I crossed my arms over my stomach and sighed lazily.  
  
"Kicking and screaming it is." He replied getting up from my chair and snatching something off my bedside table and hiding, whatever it was behind his back.  
  
I rolled my eyes and rested the base of my skull on the hard wall. "What are we ten and still playing 'keep away'? I would've expected more from you Germaine."  
  
He smirked, walked over to my window and opened it and held his hand out. "Talk to me or your phone gets it."  
  
I blinked processing what was going on in front of me. My eyes widened as I realize my new, $300 camera phone, that my father had specifically said at Christmas that if I broke it I'd be dead, was being dangled out my 2nd floor window that was above rock solid cement. I jumped out of bed and stared at Guy. "Germaine put the phone down! I swear to God, I don't know what I'll do to you if you ruin it!"  
  
He rolled his eyes and tossed the phone at me which I caught and quickly looked over. I breathed a sigh of relief and narrowed my eyes at him. "So what do you want to do?" He asked walking away from the window and sitting at the foot of my bed.  
  
I hooked my phone onto my pocket and walked over to my closet to put on a new, unwrinkled shirt. "Well I was planning on sitting here and reading, but you kind of ruined my plans in the process of trying to destroy my phone." I pulled off my shirt and tossed it into a basket in the back of my closet.  
  
He shrugged and grinned. "You can read whenever you want to, just not now. Besides you were sleeping. There is a big difference between reading and sleeping Banksie." He smiled. "I'm just going to kidnap you for the rest of the day. So what do you want to do abductee?"  
  
I frowned and pulled a clean shirt over my head. "When kidnapping, the abductor usually picks where to take his or her abductee, just to tell you."  
  
Guy made a face and rolled his eyes. "Well, we can wallow here, wallow in the dining hall or wallow at the arena, your choice."  
  
"What great choices." I replied monotone. "I think I'll pass on all three."  
  
"Well then what do you want to do seeing you absolutely hate all of my ideas."  
  
I shrugged. "We could go see how Orion and his wife are doing." I replied grabbing my desk chair and sitting down in it. "See if we'll have practice on Monday."  
  
"Orion has a wife?"  
  
I blinked at him. "Yeah, you didn't know that?"  
  
Guy shook his head no.  
  
"Well, how exactly was he going to have a kid?" I questioned him, laughing slightly.  
  
Guy shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever I'm in."  
  
I nodded and got up and grabbed my keys and wallet off my nightstand and followed Guy out of the room. "I can't believe you know that Orion had a wife."  
  
We walked into the hospital and that choking hospital smell seemed to grip us by the throat and gag us. I hate hospitals. No real story behind it, I just do. Doctors too. I don't really like doctors all the much, but that might have something to do with Josie's father. I looked around at the foyer and it seemed to open up in front of us. Both Guy was an only child and I was the youngest so both of us wouldn't have a clue were the maternity ward would be so we swallowed our pride and walked up to a receptionist and asked her.  
  
"Maternity." She started and turned around. "Ok, see those elevators? Go to the third floor hang a right and then go to the end of the hall and hang a left and you should see a desk like this one and ask them which room your relatives are."  
  
Guy and I exchanged glances and nodded carefully. "Thanks." I muttered and left the desk and over to the elevators with Guy in tow.  
  
"What was with that?" Guy asked as we stepped into the elevator and pressed the button labeled three.  
  
I looked up at the flashing numbers above us. "No clue."  
  
He shrugged in reply and remained quiet until we reached the desk just like the receptionist had said and had learned that Coach and his wife should be in their room that was the first door on the right.  
  
Guy knocked quietly on the door and opened it before anyone could answer and looked in. He looked back at me and grinned, pushing it all the way open.  
  
Orion was in a chair beside his wife with his head resting on her hand. They were both asleep. His quiet snores were barely audible.  
  
"Should we?" I asked Guy who shrugged helplessly.  
  
"Excuse me." A nurse replied wheeling a baby in a clear plastic cart into the room. "It's lunch time." She whispered as we stepped out of her way.  
  
We walked in behind her and touched Orion's shoulder making him grunt in surprise and look up at us in shock. "What are you two doing here?" He whispered and glanced over at the nurse who was about to wake his wife. "Oh I'll do it." He replied quietly.  
  
Guy and I stayed out of the way as Orion kissed his wife's cheek and smiled. She opened her clear eyes and smiled. "Hmm?" She murmured and beamed with pride as she noticed her child was in the room.  
  
"Mrs. Orion? It's time for lunch." The nurse breathed and picked up the baby that was beginning to get fussy and whine.  
  
Orion smiled as his wife took the baby from the nurse's arms and touched it gingerly. He turned to us and a slightly sterner look was cast upon his features, but a happy glow was still shining through. He was a big softy around his family. The whole 'I'm a big, tough Coach-hear me roar' crap was just a front to make us respect him. "Why are you here?"  
  
Guy and I shrugged. "Boredom." I replied with an air of laughter in my voice.  
  
"Yeah, we wanted to see the future of the NHL in action." Guy laughed.  
  
Orion shrugged. "I think I'll leave that up to him." He glanced back at his wife who held the baby in her arms and bottle fed him, seeming to be glowing.  
  
His wife gestured us over to her and caressed the baby's chubby cheek. "I'm guessing you two are Teddy's players?" She asked trying not to disturb her child.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Adam Banks and he's Guy Germaine." I murmured so that it was barely audible. I looked down at baby whose big blue eyes shone brightly up at us. "And who is he?"  
  
She looked over at Coach who shrugged in reply. "We haven't agreed yet. I'm leaning toward Darren and . . ."  
  
"I still think naming him after me would be a good idea." Coach replied stubbornly. "Besides, Darren Orion? Are you kidding me? It sounds funny."  
  
I chuckled at them as they shook their heads at each other. "I would've thought you would have names ready."  
  
"Well, he's a month earlier than we expected so we're a little unprepared. We have everything we need, but we don't have a name and the crib isn't made. However, it will be by the time we're home, won't it Teddy?" She replied with a jokingly stern manner in her voice.  
  
He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes Helen." He half laughed and shrugged. "But we still need to name him before we go home."  
  
"When are you going to be home and back coaching?" Guy asked his eyes leaving the angelic face of the baby to Orion's wise one.  
  
Orion widened his eyes. "Oh, I forgot!" He rubbed his forehead and frowned. "I don't even have anything planned." He bit his lip. "Tomorrow afternoon right after school; I'll be ready, tell the team, alright?"  
  
Guy and I nodded in unison. "Is there anything else you need us to do?" I asked quietly.  
  
Orion shook his head and Helen and the baby seemed to drift off the sleep again. He ushered us out into the hall and stopped us before we could leave. "Guys, ok, I need a little bit of help. The doctors say that my wife, Helen, will be out by Wednesday and I need to surprise her not to mention I have to put that God-forsaken crib together and I'd ask my daughter to, however. . ." He seemed to trail off at the end, almost in discomfort.  
  
"You want help from the team?" Guy replied with a laugh. "I'm sure the guys would be up to it."  
  
"Would you?" He asked with a smile. "I mean, I could give a couple of you a ride to my house after practice on Monday before coming back here and checking up on my wife."  
  
I nodded and smiled. "Yeah sure. We'll ask them when we tell them about practice."  
  
"Great!" He replied. "OK, you two better get going or you're going to be late for curfew." He glanced at the clock behind us.  
  
We walked out of the hospital with high hopes and a load of responsibility to disperse amongst the Ducks.

* * *

  
  
A/N: Hey Guys! It's been a little bit eh? About a week? Sorry about that! I've had a terrible week and instead of ranting it out here I've actually been using a diary and when I got to my chapter I was all ranted out. But I finished and I hope you enjoy it!  
  
Shout Outs!  
  
Emily- Hey there! Oh go me! I guessed your nationality on the first try, but seeing that most of my reviewers are American, it was kind of an 80-20 chance that you would be American. Ohmigod! That is so cool! See, I have no connections to the Ducks like that, other than the fact that my school mascot in grade 7 and 8 was a Hawk. Yes looks down ashamed I was a Hawk, and we kicked major butt too!! That and the fact that my brother when he played hockey was #21, but that was coincidence. Oh, yeah, Laney having a boyfriend sucks, but Averman's plotline is going to be mainly humor, so no worried ok? You'll see what Avsie does ok? Oh, and Adam did get it cookie! lol Thanks! Later!  
  
Beaner- If you didn't like Averman and loved Bobby, I would slap you. Granted, I'm in Ontario and you're in PA and it would be a long long drive and the fact that you could probably kick my 'vanilla booty' (Yes Jesse humor!) across the Canadian border, but w/e. I love using Averman to lighten the mood. I think that's what he even does in the movies so that's why I write him that way! Get Jocie to read last chapter ok? She avoiding it and I want her to read it sooooo bad! Jocie, if you read this, I was waiting FOREVER for you to read last chapter! Anyways, Later all!  
  
Banks'-gurl-99- Thanks for the compliment, however, it's not going to be that simple with Josie and Adam. But again, you'll have to read and find out. Thanks for the review and guess! Later!  
  
Rachel- Unfortunately I can't do theme songs. I do poems! But theme songs are a major no. Thanks so much! 100 reviews!! I was so excited!! It took like 30 chapters to reach 100 last time and this time only 18! This so cool! But it's thanks to my AMAZING reviewers (much like you) that helped out! Averman and you are plotting again Bobby? What about Will? Aren't you plotting against him too? OK, no viciously attacking characters I need. Especially for either next, or the chapter after that. Yeah, you should consider deep breathing. Or anger management. Either way. Anyways, thanks so much for the review! You're amazing!  
  
SqUiDsLiLpYrO- Hey there. I know it took me a while to figure that one out too. Lending movies. However, the Duck movies are very 'valuable'. I'd consider taking some collateral. I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter and Happy Birthday!! Why didn't you tell me sooner? I'm glad all of you like Averman! I love writing him and I just all around love him! I'm glad you liked it and I'll see you in the next chapter! Later!  
  
OK Everyone 100 Reviews! You guys are so great and I love you all big bunches!  
  
REVIEW  
  
Toodles  
  
KatieGurl 


	20. Modern Technology Sux!

The next morning, I woke up feeling completely and utterly drained of all possible energy. I'm not exactly sure why; perhaps the gallivanting around the greater Minneapolis area with Averman and then later Guy, or the fact that I had taken that midday nap and I couldn't get to sleep, for the life of me until approximately 3am, but I have a feeling it was a mixture of the two. But in actuality, it didn't really matter. I was just going to lounge around the dorm and do absolutely nothing.  
  
Or at least that was the plan...  
  
I grabbed one of the piles of Sports Illustrated magazines that we half hidden beneath Averman's bed. I grabbed the first magazine off the pile and opened it to a completely random page. It was a seriously old copy and all the pages were dog eared but other than that, it was in perfect condition. There was not a picture tore out, or a single pen mark. Averman was extremely protective about his magazines that way. I remember this one time, Charlie ripped out a picture of Gretzky from his own magazine and Averman got this look on his face, almost like complete shock, his pale skin turning even more pale than usual.  
  
The annoying, piercing ring from my cell phone murdered my peaceful silence. I groaned and glared at the silvery piece of technology on my bedside tabled. No matter how evil the glare I sent at it, it didn't seem to stop ringing. I groaned and forced my fatigued muscles to reach and grab the phone. I put it to my ear and flipped the page to the magazine. "Talk."  
  
"Is that how you answer a phone? What happened to Hello, Adam Banks?"  
  
I nearly dropped the phone from shock and sat up straight; upsetting the magazine that was balanced on my lap, making it slide off my mattress and onto the floor with a thump. "Dad?" I asked nervously, mentally praying it wasn't him and some sick joke that the Ducks were playing on me. I waited for a second. It wasn't. "How did you get this number?"  
  
I could hear the frustration seep into my father's tone and mannerisms, even over the phone. He seemed to get tense and annoyed just by talking to me. "I bought the phone Adam. Don't you think it would be stupid if I didn't know the number to it?"  
  
I didn't matter who or what you did, with only a couple of words my father could make you feel completely worthless, idiotic or both. You could be the most confident, beautiful, skilled, successful person on the face of the Earth and somehow or another, my father could pull it off. He probably was one of the biggest bullies in the whole state of Minnesota during his schoolyard days. Little Philly Banks holding the smaller kids down with their heads in the sand, dangling spit over their faces until they surrendered their lunch money to him.  
  
If I find out that my family's 'fortune', in the beginning was funded by a bunch of schoolboys' lunch money; I'm giving up my trust fund and my inheritance.  
  
"Adam Nathaniel Banks! Are you listening to me?"  
  
My phone was tossed into the air when my father's angrily voice shot into my ear like a bullet. I caught in midair and gripped it with two hands as I held it. "Sorry dad, what were you saying?"  
  
My father groaned his aggravated and annoyed groan at me because of the fact that I, in his opinion, was wasting his precious, expensive time by making his repeat whatever useless thing he was muttering. "Don't you every listen?" he spat. "I'm surprised that, that coach of yours hasn't benched you for the extreme lack of listening skills on your part!"  
  
I sunk in my bed and rested my head on my headboard, preparing myself for a rousing tedious rant on how I was a terrible son, with little or no useful skills and I should try to follow in my picture-perfect brother, Jacob's footsteps before I ruined my life so much that I wouldn't be able to rectify it. Oh joy...  
  
"I need you to come home for a dinner party your mother and I are throwing tonight." My father concluded, more quickly than I expected he would. Oh he was full of surprises today!  
  
"What for?" I asked before I could catch myself. Uh oh...  
  
"Don't you 'what for' me young man! Have you completely forgotten your manners at that school of yours?!" Is it me or does he fail to mention that my brother and him as well when to this school at my age? Has he forgotten that this isn't just my school, but his and Jay's?  
  
I closed my eyes. My father seemed to be slightly short tempered today. Whatever the reason is, must be last minute because he's always a little snippy and short fused when he's rushed. He hates being rushed.  
  
I swallowed and nervously interrupted him. "Dad! I swear I wasn't being smart! What I meant was why am I needed? I was just being curious."  
  
"I bet." My father grumbled in disbelief. Sometimes it feels like I could tell him that the rain is wet and he wouldn't believe me in the slightest. But that's just my father for you. Unless he says it, it isn't true. "I have a few clients coming over and they are around your age. The Best's, Hayworth's and McGill's will be there also. They want to speak business with me."  
  
I inwardly groaned. Hmmm... My ex-girlfriend, my mortal enemy and my best friend turned enemy all at the dinner party from the depts. Yes, my father was finished creating my hell. All he needed was a white hot branding iron and a bed of nails and it would be perfect. "Dad, Dan McGill and I haven't spoken civilly since pee-wees, and Will Hayworth is out for my blood." I replied simply, hoping he would catch my blatantly obvious hints.  
  
"Nonsense." He replied with complete conviction. "You were speaking fine with Daniel during his family's Christmas party and the Hayworth boy and you had a minor disagreement." My father loves to contradict me. I'm not exactly sure why. I think it's a hobby of his.  
  
"Dan attempted to break my wrist when you forced us to shake hands. I had to ice my wrist when we got home!"  
  
He completely ignored me and continued on his merry way, conversationally speaking. "I expect you showered and ready by 2:50 and in front of your dorms so I can see you. Wear a nice pair of tan dress pants, that shirt your grandmother bought you for Christmas; they look good on and bring your Eden Hall jacket."  
  
I inwardly groaned. First of all, I hate being told what to wear because it feels like my parents think I'm a six year old instead of almost sixteen and secondly, that shirt was itchy and the neck was tight and felt like it was strangling me. I'm not sure why a lot of dress clothing is so uncomfortable, but it is, so I have to deal with it. I'm pretty sure that my relatives are plotting against me, but that might just be me being paranoid.  
  
"You know which one I'm talking about correct?" My father asked being sure that I would look perfect and him the perfect providing father.  
  
I closed my eyes and sighed. "Yes sir." I mumbled under my breath.  
  
The quiet sound of him gloating washed over me. "Good. 2:50 then."  
  
The dial tone hit my ear harshly and I hurt up and slammed the phone onto my table frustrated. My father never was good with small talk at all. I remember him once saying, 'I wanted to know the weather I would watch the news.' I'm not all the sure if his straight-forward-ness helped of hindered him in the long run, but it seemed that it helped.  
  
I grabbed my watch off my bedside table and slapped it on my wrist and glanced at its face. 11:30. Thank God. I had a couple of hours to mentally prepare myself to deal with my family.  
  
My bare feet touched the cool hardwood floors of the dorms and the soft patting noise was the only sounds until I reached Averman's stereo and flipped on a random song to fill the void. I slumped into the washroom and turned on the tap and splashed the cool water onto my burning face. I grabbed the nearest towel and patted off my skin and looked at the mirror, revealing my pale complexion.  
  
Josie and I were going to be in the same house, probably in the same room for the entire night until about 11, when most of my father's dinner parties end. We would have to at least act civil toward each other so, within the 9 hours of being in each other's presence, we might work something out. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a complete disaster.  
  
Okay—scratch that. This was planned my Phillip Banks and colleagues. Nothing good could come out of tonight. Hell spilling out of the depths would be more likely than something good and pure and happy happening. It was a near impossibility.  
  
My phone rang out through the music. I gave out a quick frustrated yell. It was probably my father just reminding me to wear the shirt or feel his wrath in a fiery pit with pointy wooden stakes. I considered ignoring it, but knowing my father he would murder me if I let it go to voicemail when he came to pick me up. No, first he would make me endure the dinner party then he would throttle me.  
  
I slumped into the room and snatched the phone off my nightstand. "Hello, Adam Banks speaking. May I ask who is calling?" I answered in a sickly sweet fake, well manner voice. That would get under my father's skin knowing I was just mocking him. I could feel a smirk crawling onto my lips.  
  
"Banksie? What the hell was that?"  
  
The smirk fell off my face and seemed to shatter into a million pieces. "Averman?"  
  
"Yeah." He replied slightly suspicious of me. "What's with the formal intro, Banksie?"  
  
I laughed at myself and shook my head. I was so stupid sometimes. I should really start looking at the caller ID before I pick up the phone and say something stupid. "Oh, I was just summoned to the royal court to make an appearance in front of the Royal family and the King's advisors."  
  
He laughed. "Oh, the Little Prince has to act all well mannered and cannot fraternize with the peasants I see."  
  
I scoffed. "Oh, you're right, good and noble jester." I stopped and frowned. "Wait, isn't the jester supposed to be entertaining the Duchess?"  
  
"Duchess?" Averman immediately stopped laughing. "OK, no more jokes, who are you talking about?"  
  
I snorted at Averman's obliviousness. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching Elaine how to skate right now?"  
  
He groaned. "Let's just say the Duchess has prior engagements and sent the Duke in her place."  
  
"You mean you're with Bo-"  
  
"Yes, I'm with Bobby Jones right at this moment, but he's off to get tape and some ice." He grumbled.  
  
"Ice and tape? Is he ok?" I asked worried.  
  
"He is. I'm not." Averman moaned. "He fell on me, landed on my glasses that fell off my face, snapped them in two and crushed my knee cap into the ice all within fifteen seconds. I hurt all over. I mean worse than the time that Portman playfully pushed me into the lockers and I almost blacked out."  
  
I frowned. "Well what happened with Elaine? Why are you with Bobby?"  
  
He gave out a disturbed and completely drained groan. "W were in the arena and she told me to go set up and she would be there in a second; her cell phone rang." He explained. "When she came into the arena she wasn't wearing her skates and Bobby was holding her hand and waved me over to them and then she told me that her mother tried her pager, and that she always forgets her cell number. So her mother called Bobby and she had to go baby sit her sisters, and Bobby would take her place because I had 'gone through so much trouble."  
  
I blinked. "That was quite a story Averman." I replied in monotone.  
  
"I know! And now I'm stuck in a freaking falling in love montage straight out of the last Julia-freaking-Roberts with a Neanderthal!" He yelped at me angrily.  
  
I snorted and shook my head. "It could only happen to you!" I sputtered.  
  
"Banks! I swear to freaking God! All we're missing is hot chocolate man! Get me out of here!"  
  
I snickered quietly and smirked. "Oh man, Bobby has the hotts for you!"  
  
"Shut it!" He snapped, half laughing half serious. "I didn't call you to make fun of me. If I wanted that I would've called Portman or Charlie or Russ or someone."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "I'm glad to know that you think of me as the serious, straight laced, boring type of friend." I grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, whatever; no problem." He replied ignoring what I had said. "The thing is, that Bobby, despite being a Neanderthal, a blockhead and having acquired an IQ or approximate equal value to a dead guy--"  
  
"Averman, get on with it..."  
  
"He's a nice guy, even though I hate his guts for going out with the girl I like." He explained.  
  
"And your point is?"  
  
"I don't think that in my right mind I could try to take Laney away from him."  
  
I grinned and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as if Averman had grown up and grew a conscience during his stay at Eden Hall. I guess our school did instill some values in our raw and unkempt minds; terrifying. "Well that's good. You got to know a person and starting thinking about other people's feelings, I'm proud of you Averman." I mocked him.  
  
"Yeah..." He stopped in midway and he seemed to rethink what he was agreeing with. "Wait NO!" He yelped into my ear. "I was thinking about me! Once he fell on me and ruined my glasses by accident, I realized I would be a baggie of dust if he found out I was chasing his girl, especially with those anger problems."  
  
"Anger... problems?"  
  
"Oh yeah." He confirmed. "Kenny hacked into the school's database for me—"  
  
"You got Ken to hack into the school's database? Averman!" I yelped at him I couldn't believe the Ducks had corrupted poor Ken so much. Little pranks, fine. Shaving cream, cold water; that was in good clean fun, but hacking into the administration's files could get him expelled.  
  
"Banks! Focus!" Averman yelped back at me. "Anyways, Ken said that a one, Robert 'Bobby' Norman Jones, has some anger issues. He's the only known student since the early 20's to punch out a spectator at a football game! And he was only in grade 10 then! Imagine now! He's a senior! He would crush me!"  
  
"Well that's a little nerve-racking." I admitted swallowing nervously for the sake of Averman. "So that means your not going to go through with your evil plan right? You're going to leave Laney alone."  
  
"Well..." He started and stopped. "Shit..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh it's nothing. Bobby is just bringing me hot chocolate." He explained with an aggravated sigh. "It's really quite a sweet gesture on his part. He's even got some tape and ice with the tray. He didn't have to do all that you know."  
  
I couldn't help but laughing along with Averman as he made light of his situation. "Have fun on the rest of your date man." I smirked.  
  
He laughed and I could just imagine his shaking his head at me. "Yeah you too. Have fun with the parents from Hades."  
  
I groaned. "Thanks man for reminding me."  
  
"No prob." He laughed as he hung up to join Bobby, whom I could hear ask who he was talking to.  
  
I hung up my phone and stared at it as if I were just waiting for the next person to call. It felt like no time had passed as I stared at the silvery piece of technology that lay dormant on the table in front of me. I felt very alone. I didn't like that.  
  
I grabbed my watch and realized that I had been sitting there for about an hour. I got up and began to get ready for the dinner from hell.

* * *

A/N: Oh Guys! I'm sorry it's been a while. I've had a couple things on my plate and I think it may be like that for a while. I did finish this chapter on like Friday and then my brother deleted most of it. I was so angry. Then I did my 30 hour famine (Woot go me!) which actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. If you ever do one, do NOT binge eat beforehand it makes you hungrier during the famine. Now I have a French ISU (which for anyone who doesn't know, is a huge project called an Independent Study Unit) and also one in Civics and then I have to do an oral exam in French so I have a lot to work on. So #1. I'm so sorry for my lack of writing and posting. I am writing I just don't have time to type it out and #2. I'm sorry for the future because it seems I might have disappeared, but I haven't. The people who have me on AOL know I am still alive and kicking. You can add me to MSN (just use my e-mail address in my profile) if you have that instead. Anyways, I'll try to post as much as I can, but my semester is winding down so please excuse me and pity me ok?  
  
Shout outs  
  
**OreoLine00**- Ok, I can't name the baby Nick or Ryan. A) I already have a character named Ryan (Ryan Larson...) and 2. I already named the baby. I've had him named since before I even started this story. I hadn't even finished Don't Speak! I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter, and I hope you like this one despite the long gap in between.  
  
**Beaner**- Hey you! OK, I don't have to ask you what happened with your mom, and I hope she's better, and I'm glad you liked last chapter too. I hope you like this one and I hope you have more to say next time you review and I hope I do too! OK? Later!  
  
**Emily**- I was so a Hawk and the weird thing was that he had awesome teams too. Even a guy that now that I think back to him, was an awesome athlete in whatever he did. It was really creepy. He kind of reminds me of Adam now. Cute too. I mean the whole bit, perfect, student counsel, athlete, popular and he even was separated from his friends when he went to a RIVAL high school. shivers Creepy. I'm glad you enjoyed the conversation I finally worked out after a while because it was hard. I was so blocked. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter too! Later!  
  
**Banks'-gurl-99**- Hey there. You got lost last chapter? I'll have to re read it and try to find that point and try to clarify it. I'm glad that you were excited to read the next chapter (this one!) but I'm so sorry for making you wait. I don't like doing that! Glad you enjoyed it and I hope you like this one!  
  
**Pryo44**- Hey there! Oh it's ok that you didn't have time to review! However I did miss your reviews! I'm so glad you loved my Averman stuff because I absolutely love writing him. He's one of my favorites to write. Yikes! Don't get in trouble on my behalf! I don't need you to be 'slacking off' in a library, even though I know exactly what you mean. I had to do some of my 40 hours of community involvement (a requirement in Ontario high schools) in a library. It was really bad. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope to hear from you as soon as you can get around to reviewing little ol' me!  
  
**Jocie**- Hey you girlie! Hey, no problem for dedicating a chapter to you. Everyone needs to be cheered up and us girls need to stick together especially with guys like Dan that are our counterparts on this place we call home... grimaces. OH, no problem about the 'fab' story, as you put it. It's too fun to quit! You'll see how the whole Josie thing works out ok? Just wait. Oh and Guy and his angel followers? Hmmm... we'll have to see where that works in... taps chin I'll try to work in Fulton (I'm thinking I'll try for next chapter for sure) And Orion doesn't get enough ink so I figured I would just toss him into the mix. See I updated! I'm a little late I know, but I'll try to be quicker next time ok? Anyways, later!  
  
**SqUiDsLiLpYrO**- waves back Hello! Oh I was sensing a pattern also. Is it that you just really like my stuff? tear I feel so loved! Did you lean him your tape yet? Does he understand? Is he a fan yet!!!! SQUEE!! Anyways, I don't really have anything else to say so I'll talk to you later and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Later!  
  
**Again I'm so sorry for being so late on Updating. Please forgive me and don't murder me! I love you guys and I hope you guys don't hurt me! Talk to you later all!!  
**  
REVIEW!  
  
Toodles  
  
KatieGirl 


	21. The Dinner party from Hell Why Me?

I quickly unzipped my winter coat and slid the bulky sleeves off my arms and tossed into the backseat welcoming the cooler air only to be slapped in the face by the heaters in my father's car that seemed to be melting me. I undid the buttons at the cuffs of my shirt and rolled up the sleeves to my elbows, eying my father as he snorted like a bull as he sped down the highway, through the freezing rain that was spotting the windshield.

"Will you stop fidgeting? You're more distracting than you were when you were three years old!" My father barked as he glared over at me and then re-concentrated on the road. "The weather is more than enough to deal with at the moment." He grumbled.

I tugged at my tie that I had gotten and had been avoiding since two Christmases ago and stared at his scowling face as he zipped up his coat with a shiver. "I would but it's burning hot in here." I replied with a squirm in the leather seat and attempted to loosen my tie.

His eyes darted from me to the road a couple of times. "It's freezing in here." He stated firmly in a confused manner. "Are you feeling alright? Are you eating right at that school? Sleeping at all?"

I rolled my eyes at him knowing that wasn't the real reason he was worried. . He was worried that I would slack off because of those things and he would look bad in front of his friends. "Don't worry dad. My game has been and is just fine. Wonderful."

"Oh yes, just because I care about your future means I don't care about your well being, not even in the slightest." He scoffed to himself. He huffed as he glanced at me and stared at the wet and slippery streets. When I didn't reply to this he continued. "I only do what's best for you, my dear boy. And contrary to what you may or may not think, I do care about Jacob and you. I'm not the modern day Scrooge as you and your friends peg me as."

"Could've fooled me." I muttered as I turned toward the window and stared at the melting snow.

He gripped my shoulder with one had and kept the other firmly on the steering wheel. His grasp was firm, jus trying to get his point across but not to the point of pain. "Listen here," He started in a gruff and commanding voice, making sure I heard him no matter what I did to tune him out. "I have given you practically everything thing you have ever dreamed of and more. I've got you and your brother on the best teams, in the best of schools and you've got connections to some of the most powerful people in Minnesota and soon the country. And that's all because of me." He let go of my shoulder and kept both hands on the wheel and stared straight ahead as if he were speaking to the dashboard instead of me. "You have the life some people twice your age wish for every night and I made that for you."

"My hockey made that for me." I contradicted him.

He licked his lips and a small smirked upon them and a small humored chuckle filled the air. I felt I was being suffocated by it. "Who taught you to skate Adam? Who taught you how to play? Who paid for those exclusive hockey camps? I made you, physically and mentally, Adam."

I shook my head, throwing away everything he told me. "Those only taught me the basics; the Ducks--"

"Made you the player you are now?" He finished with a laugh. "Do you really think they would've cared you were on their team if you weren't the player I made you? To them, you were just a pawn and you still are. You could be replaced; and believe me there are countless of other kids who could fill your spot on that roster." He stopped and stared me in the eyes, knowing that no matter what I did, I couldn't escape from what he was about to say. "But you haven't been and do you know why? It's because of me. You see my son, I am an influential person too, even if you don't know that yourself. My father was an influential person and you will be too. Do you know why?"

I shook my head very slowly and nervously.

"Because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I sat in silence staring at my father's profile as he peered out the windshield at the slushy roads.

His words sent icy shivers down my spine. I breathed deep as I closed my eyes praying to God, or whatever is looking out for me that what he said wasn't true, for my sake and the Duck's sake.

The first thing that came to mind as we pulled into the driveway and I recognized both Josie's father's car in the driveway and Jacob's car was that you could always trust my family to make things worse or ore complicated than what they already were.

Josie sat beside me at the table and my father was on the end to my left and her father was to her right. It was so odd and I could tell something wasn't right. Not wrong in any sense. But the lack of awkwardness and evil death stares from her father just made the whole visit feel off.

"So how is school Adam?"

I jumped as Dr. Best had spoken to me since the greeting me as I took off my coat. I took a sip of water, as I coughed down a piece of bread I had been nervously eating since I sat at the table out of respect. I was too nervous and scared to be hungry. "Um…it's good."

"Joslyn tells me that you're also advanced in math. Are you enjoying it?"

I raised an eyebrow as Josie grimaced at the use of her real name and avoided my eyes by pushing a piece of lettuce around her salad bowl. "Yeah, it's great." I muttered eying her quickly before meeting her father's eyes and flashing a rehearsed grin.

"Joslyn, sit up straight." Her father hissed quietly making her push her shoulders back and meet the eyes of the person across the table, who happened to be Daniel McGill who at that moment allowed his petty immaturity take advantage of him and kick me in the shin.

I jumped making my knee hit the table painfully and making my father eye my carefully as he grabbed his glass filled with Merlot being sure it didn't tip as the table shook slightly.

My mother eyed her guests being sure none of their drinks split on the linen. My mother never ceased to amaze me. She didn't want the table cloth ruined so she could use it on special occasions, but she still used it when my Uncle Bernie (he's not actually related, but I'm pretty sure I've known him since I was in diapers. My father would probably commit suicide if he found out he was actually related to a man named 'Bernie.') came over and he only drinks extremely dry red wines and talks with his hands, which is never a good mixture with an off white linen table cloth.

"Daniel, William, how is it at St. Steven's? Are you two enjoying the experience?" My father asked taking a sip and gently placing it down on the table.

Dan and Will exchanged glances and smirked at each other knowingly. I inwardly groaned. I guess my enemies have made a little anti-Adam club and were plotting my demise. Alright!

Dan seemed to speak. "It's great Mr. Banks. I haven't even visited a better school."

I took a sip of water to keep myself from gagging from the sickening sweet act my old best friend was putting on.

My father slapped my back and I coughed on my water. "Maybe I should consider putting this guy in here." He laughed.

I coughed again and got up from my seat. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." As soon as I got out of the room I ran to the nearest washroom and locked the door behind me.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?!" I demanded of my reflection who looked just as confused as I felt. I heard a burst of laughter from the dining room, along with my mother's rehearsed trill over them all. "Am I the only person who sees how fake these people are?"

A knock on the washroom door interrupted my interrogation of my reflection tat seemed to be going nowhere. "Adam? You ok in there? Mom sent me out to see how you're doing." My brother sounded a little relieved to be out of the room.

I opened the door and stepped out and looked up at him. He was about six inches taller than me and I hated it. "I'm fine." I was also, in a way, happy it was him. If my father sent out Will or Dan they might have tried to choke me to death with their belt or shove their napkin down my throat or something equally unusual that might end up in the papers or on the news.

_'Edina boy chokes to death on napkin during father's dinner party. The story at 6. And now, the weather!'_

"Adam!"

I jumped as my brother snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. "What? Huh?"

He took me by the shoulders and hunched over so he was looking me right in the eyes. "I want you to tell mom and dad that while I was talking to you, my cell phone went off and I had to get back to school ASAP ok?"

I frowned. "You're school isn't even in this state. Dad is going to say you could've waited until morning." I stated knowing that if I told my parents that, they would get angry at me instead of my brother. They always liked him more. I'm convinced.

"Tell them that one of my friends died or something. They'll understand."

"Oh that's really great Jay. Disrespect the dead while you're at it." I replied smugly. "Tell them yourself I'm not getting into this." I walked out of his grasp and toward the dining room. I was yanked away from the door before I could even lay a hand on the doorknob to allow myself in.

My brother looked pleadingly into my eyes. "Come on Ads, I'll buy you some candy while I'm out. Please I just got to get out of here."

I blinked completely shocked. "Ok, candy would've worked when I was six. You seriously need to work on your bribing skills, besides you don't want to get out of here. You want to go drinking."

"Yes, you caught me." He grumbled getting angry. "Will you tell them?!"

I frowned and rolled my eyes. "I'll say you weren't feeling well and went to sleep. You better be home before midnight or we're both going to be in shit."

He grinned and slapped a hand on the top of my head and tousled it roughly. "Thanks little bro. You ever get shit-faced and I'm in town, call me. I'll cover for you."

I rolled my eyes. "You would probably join me, besides I'm not going to ruin my scholarship."

He raised an eyebrow and pulled his keys from his pocket, which a snatched quickly. "What the hell was that for squirt?!" He hissed wrapping an arm around my neck and pulling me into a rough headlock that was far from playful.

"You're car is blocked in the driveway already, Dad will wonder where it went when he's showing his 'guests' out and you shouldn't be driving, especially when you're anticipating getting drunk, and already have had a couple glasses of Scotch."

He let me out of the headlock and frowned. "You saw that?"

"Just like how I've seen that Dan has been 'borrowing' Rum from dad's liquor cabinet and lacing it with his coke." I replied crossing my arms.

Jay snorted and shook his head looking toward the dining room. "I always liked him. He was a cool guy."

"Is that before or after he rendered me unconscious the year I got kicked off the Hawks?"

"During." My brother replied and began to sneak toward the kitchen's back door.

"Jerk." I muttered as I straightened my tie and walked into the dining room and took my place beside Josie, who shifted uneasily and looked the other way.

"Where's Jacob?" My mother asked sweetly as she finished off her white wine and set it down on the table, which was quickly replenished by Mr. McGill.

"Ill. He has a migraine and needed to lie down." I replied placing my napkin on my lap and grabbing another piece of bread to occupy myself.

My mother looked worried and pursed her lips. "Oh, those migraines of his. I'm going to go check on him." She got up and placed her napkin on the table.

My eyes widened as realized that if I were caught in a lie that I was using to cover for Jay, I would be better off in the artic tundra of Canada wearing nothing but boxers. "No!" I yelped. "He said… He didn't want to be bothered. He took a sleeping aide and didn't want to be disturbed."

My father patted my mother's hand urging her to sit. "If Jake needs us, he'd yell."

I sighed in relief and rubbed my forehead. With all this lying and fakeness, I was getting a migraine.

"Who's up for the main course?"

After dinner my father suggested we 'retire' to the den to discuss business, as always. I sunk into the couch beside Josie and rubbed my temple with my hand. I was kind of confused on why she sat next me to me but she did. Maybe because she didn't want to sit with Will and wasn't on good terms with McGill after giving him a good swift kick before Christmas. So maybe I wasn't the most hated person she knew. Good to know…

I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand as my father explained how business was going.

My mother who was sitting in an armchair on my right tapped my hand as she checked her watch. "Sweetie, why don't you and Josie get everyone's coats from the back closet? It's almost eleven and I know that everyone is going to want to leave soon."

I looked over at Josie who nodded enthusiastically and gripped my hand pulling me out into the hall and closed the big oak doors closed behind us. She breathed a sigh of relief and groaned. "I don't think I could've taken another second of that. I love your mom."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're talking to me? I thought you hated me."

She glanced at me and rolled her eyes. "I do but right now you're not in my top five. Everyone in there is." She motioned to the people who were behind the door.

"So that's why you were sitting with me all night." I nodded. "It makes sense now."

She cleared her throat looked down at her shoes guiltily. "You could say that." She muttered and looked around. "So where is the closet?"

"Whoa!" I yelped grabbing her wrist before she began to escape in hopes of finding the closet. "No, what do you mean you could say that?"

She swallowed. "I kind of didn't tell my dad about us."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean that's why he wasn't casting glares at me? He doesn't know we're not-"

"-going out. Yeah he has no clue." She replied quietly, looking away from me, licking her lips.

I leaned over to her and tried my best to stare at her. "You didn't tell him? Why not?" I stopped and realized what I was saying and shook my head. "Not that I'm not happy that you didn't tell him because if you did I would be cream of Duck right now, but why?"

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "I didn't want him to know alright? I didn't want to go through an 'I knew he was a bad apple' speech that I know he has stored up for when you screw up."

I shook my head. "Well that makes me feel that much better."

She frowned. "Hey, don't blame me buddy-boy. I saved you from the ass kicking you would've gotten from my father."

"Nice, that's really sweet of you Josie." I replied, brushing past her and walking towards the kitchen. I couldn't believe how quickly she had just pissed me off. It was almost amazing. "The closet is this way." I grumbled and stomped my way to the kitchen.

She followed behind me in silence until we reached the back room and I opened the closet. "Nice temper you have there." She scoffed sarcastically.

I spun around, her nose just barely an inch away from mine. "If I don't remember correctly, you have quite the temper also Joslyn." I didn't even blink as I continued. "I believe you had grown quite accustomed to yelling at me. So since we're not together anymore, what have you replaced me with? I'm quite interested to find out."

She scowled in at me. "Wow, I didn't realize how big of an asshole you can really be. So I guess that whole sweet guy thing you've been putting on since about November was an act." She shook her head. "That must've been quite a challenge for you. You really should've gotten an Emmy for that performance."

"Thanks I'm honored." I muttered under my breath as I turned around and grabbed a couple coats off the hangers and placed them in her outstretched arms. "And I'm sure the frigid bitch awards are coming around real soon."

I stopped and stared her straight in the eyes and she seemed to do the same. I was completely mystified on how all that just came out without me even thinking it over.

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Wow. I'm sorry. I don't particularly like you, but I didn't mean any of that." She seemed to shake out of nervousness or fright.

"Yeah, same here. That was weird." I replied staring down at my feet.

"Do you think it's our families?"

I nodded. "Has to be; I mean, I don't ever say things like that unless I've spent too much time with them."

She chuckled quietly and shook her head, allowing me to take some of the coats from her arms. "You think their bitterness is contagious?"

I laughed and shrugged. "Maybe they have a vaccine."

She nodded. "Maybe we need our booster shots."

As our laughs subsided I realized that had been the first time she and I had actually laughed together since we broke up. I glanced over at her and she seemed to come to the same conclusion within a millisecond of me.

"Do you think-" I started and stopped as she started at the same time

"Did we-"

We looked away from each other and I shook my head.

"Maybe we-"

"I think that-"

We smiled at each other and closed our eyes.

"You go." She smirked.

I cleared my throat and began walking to the front foyer of my house. "Maybe we should try again, or try to be friends or something."

She frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea." She replied quietly looking away from me.

"What!" I yelped. "Jose, we were just laughing in there. We could make this work. You just have to give me a chance."

She shrugged. "Adam, I don't know; just give me a bit more time ok?"

I licked my lips and frowned. "How long?"

"Couple days minimum." She replied with a nod.

I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Maximum?"

She shrugged helplessly

"Josie you can't just-"

"Oh good, perfect timing." My father interrupted me with a smile and took Mrs. McGill's coat from the top of all the coats from my arms and held it as she slipped her arms into it.

I glanced over at Josie who avoided my eyes like the plague as my mother took the coats from her hands.

"It's been a very productive night." My father said shaking Mr. Hayworth's hand.

Will eyed Josie and I carefully as he stood beside his mother, helping her into her coat. "It's nice seeing you again Adam." He nose twitched and glared at me. His eyes shifted to Josie, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. "It's always a pleasure Joslyn."

I cleared my throat and nodded and reached to shake his hand, knowing that if I didn't, my father would be all over me about it. He gripped my hand tightly. "Yes nice seeing you too." I muttered before he jerked his hand so he pulled me closer to him so he could whisper in my ear.

"I could've told them but I didn't preppy. You best be watching your back." He hissed in my ear like the serpent he was.

I pulled my hand from his and nodded at McGill who was already halfway out the door.

"Very productive, I would say." Dr. Best nodded, still speaking with my father.

My father nodded. "Come along Adam, Joslyn. I'll be taking you back to the dorms." My father took a hold of my shoulder and guiding Joslyn out of the door by the small of her back.

I glanced over at Josie knowing it was going to be an uneventful, deathly silent ride back to Eden Hall.

The thing was that I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

A/N: Wow! So inspired to write. I was so much quicker than last time, wouldn't you say? Ok… I wrote this during breaks of my French project. I had to write a story in French and normally it would be cool, but man does it ever suck. And it has to be a fairy tale. Fairy Tale! What the hell! I can't write freaking fairy tales! I'm about tension! Yeah, I'm pissed about this assignment. Not to mention my story sucks! It's about a skunk, who stinks! The cool part is that I named him Scooter and I have a duck in it (an actual duck, as in the bird...) so I have my MD fandom references in there, just for the hell of it and so I can giggle at it if I wish. Anyways, I'm just going to move on to my Shout outs!

Shout Outs!

Rach- Ohmigod, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to miss your review especially seeing I absolutely love every single one of them. I didn't mean to and I beg your forgiveness. I swear to God I am. I'm on my knees begging. I'm glad you enjoyed my Orion plotline and I'm so surprised that you were on your vacation and thinking about my story. I'm so honored! Oh and harass me all you want. It motivates me to write more. You wouldn't by any chance have MSN would you? It might be easier to harass me when I'm being lazy (not to mention getting sneak peaks at my chapters!). I read your Averman story, and actually I want to link that story on my site (cough cough **_visit my site_** cough! tee hee! Free advertising!) Can I? Please? I love it too much. I write Averman wonderfully? Have you READ your stuff? I love your Averman and I would be honored to help you whenever! Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy (my extra long) chapter! Happy Reading and Reviewing!

Beaner- Katie!! You have WAY too much time on your hands. That review was CRAZY. Ok, well lets start at the beginning of your (cough miniature book!!cough) review. Ok, first of all, I think Averman would be incredibly quirky and would have weird obsessions about his possessions and such. Adam's dad dropping that on Adam, I think he's just the type of person to do that. Like he just sort of 'dropped' in on Bombay's boss to talk about firing Bombay if he didn't allow Adam to play on the Hawks. He's an evil mofo. That's just who he is. We need to embrace this. blinks Ok… I think I've had a wee too much coffee. You already know my Averman date has been brewing since forever. I've been thinking about it and thinking about it so much that it was making me cranky. However I think it came out just right don't you think? Anyways, thanks for the review (even though it went flame at that bottom! I'm going to go cry now! Kidding!) and happy reading and reviewing!

Jocie- Hey there. Oh it would be totally weird to spend the entire night with your ex, unless you decided to be like friends with your ex or something. Like I had a friend like that, however… she ended up making out with him by the end of the night. Wow… that was random. Anyways… Ohhh!! Throw and extra egg at his house for me! Color it with red markers and write 'the Eskimo is going to get you!' on it! You and Nate have fun! Oh I live for writing Averman. I really do. I didn't find the joys of writing him until like late last story so, you picked a good story to review all the time. Oh and by the way, Fulton is being sent off to you right now. Pick him up at your local airport. He's in a big gift wrapped crate labeled 'Happy Birthday Jocie! P.S. Dan is a jerk. Enjoy your Duck! Happy Reading and Reviewing and Happy Birthday from the Ducks and a Canadian Duck Fan/Writer.

SqUiDsLiLpYrO- I'm Squealing! He's a FAN!! I want Justin to read this ok? JUSTIN! You rock and welcome to the Mighty Ducks Fandom! You are so cool and you are the best! Ok, I had no idea that my writing had side effects of sudden outbursts. Maybe I should put a warning on it. Ok, I don't know about brilliance, but it was really fun to write despite the fact that (gasp) everything was over the phone and Adam didn't leave the comfort of his BED! That lazy ass!! I hope everyone (winks) enjoys my chapter and happy reading and reviewing!

Emily- Wee!! It's you!! Yes yes… poor Averman (snorts) I feels so bad for him (giggles) I hope… Oh screw it! I love torturing Averman!! I'm sorry but I do!! And Adam! Pfft!! Torturing him is a hobby for me now, although I do seem to put him in crappy situations. But whatever. It's cool. Well he lives and by now you know what happens. Happy Reading and Reviewing!

Pyro44- YOU!! (points at you) Yes YOU! No, not the person behind you… yeah YOU. Ok… loving your review because I was online when you review and my computer made a funny noise when the e-mail was delivered and I jumped and was scared. I was like Holy! Ok anyways. I had no clue that the States were making the 40 hours thing mandatory too. I think I have like (squints) 16 hours left? Maybe I don't remember. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the way that the dinner from Hades turned out! It was way fun to write and it is weird how life does that to you. Like for example, in both my Civics and Science class, none of my close friends were with me and I was with people I don't particularly like. However, I've made a couple new friends (mostly guy friends in my Civics, one of which says he's stalking me and peeking through my blinds. He's an idiot and completely harmless) so it all worked out for me. Adam on the other hand… not so much. Anyways, I read your story after I posted last chapter and I was creeped out. I don't remember if I reviewed (I'm really sorry if I didn't!) and Ken does kind of seem the type and Averman (to me) seems like the type to ask someone to do that. Anyways, that was creepy and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Happy Reading and Reviewing!

REVIEW

Toodles

KatieGurlie99


	22. Iced over

I groaned as I awoke from a dreamless sleep, feeling as if my brother had taken a granite mallet to my skull while I was asleep. I could barely open my eyes from lack of sleep.  
  
"_Banksie_! Up up up!! Don't be a lazy daisy!"  
  
I cracked open one eye and stared at Averman sauntering around the room, fully dressed like a jack rabbit. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" I growled at him, covering my head with my sheet. "You're like Averman on speed or ecstasy."  
  
He stopped in the middle of the room and glared at me. "I take offence to that. I am not on _drugs_." He shrugged and turned to make his bed. "I just happened to have a very good night that's all."  
  
"Good night? You spend all day with your _imaginary_ girlfriend's _boyfriend_." I said leaning up on my haunches.  
  
Averman spun around and got right in my face. "She is _NOT_ imaginary. She is real. You met her."  
  
I covered my nose and closed my eyes. "Brush your teeth man. That was disgusting."  
  
He took and step back and grinned. "Ah... the effects of waiting to brush your teeth. Disgusting, but effective." He sauntered into the washroom and the sound of running water filled my ears.  
  
I exhaled knowing I had to get up to face the day and grabbed a T-shirt off the ground and pulled it over my head for the time being and got out of bed and walked toward the washroom, leaning on the doorway, yawning as I waited for Averman to get out of my way. "Fine, she isn't imaginary." I stifled a yawn and shrugged. "But she isn't yours."  
  
He frowned, his mouth filled with white suds. With his red hair in his eyes and the growl that seemed to emerge from his throat, he resembled a rabid tiger. "Shut it Banks." He mumbled through the lather.  
  
I shrugged. "Averman, it's_ true_!" I said raising my hands in defense. "Ok, so what are your goals with Laney, tell me that."  
  
He spit out a wad of suds into the sink and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "That's simple. She falls in love with me."  
  
I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Laney falls in love with you for _no apparent reason_." I nodded and crossed my arms. "How long has she and Bobby been going out by the way?"  
  
Averman shrugged. "Bobby said since the beginning of her freshman year, so about a year and a half maybe?" He shoved his toothbrush back into his mouth roughly and grumbling at my question. "So?"  
  
I nodded and licked my lips, leaning against the doorframe tiredly. "_Year and a half_. That's practically _engaged_." I nodded. "And engaged means humping like bunnies."  
  
Averman dropped his toothbrush in the sink and stood completely shocked.** "Adam! Why the hell would you TELL me that?!"**  
  
I shrugged and yawned. "Because it's true. My brother used to gross me out with facts like that last year when he was taking this statistics course in University."  
  
Averman shivered slightly disgusted and continued to brush his teeth. He stopped and stared me straight in the eyes. "Are you serious? I mean do you think that they are..."  
  
I shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know." I watched as his shoulders slumped slightly. I knew it was my job as the teammate, roommate and most importantly _friend _to try and cheer him up. "So, I'm just wondering, how exactly are you planning on getting Bobby out of the way?"  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked tapping his toothbrush against the sink and putting it into the Ducks cup he was given right after the Goodwill Games by some vender on the street.  
  
I stepped around him and grabbed my toothbrush and smeared the green paste across the bristles. "Best case scenario, what happens with Bobby?"  
  
He licked his lips and smiled. "Oh, that's simple. I reveal him as the jerk he is on the inside and Josie runs into my arms." He stopped and frowned. "Either _that_, or he gets struck by a steaming locomotive and Goldberg's family caters the funeral."  
  
I laughed despite my mouth full of suds. Averman should seriously consider a career in entertainment.

* * *

The rest of the day seemed uneventful, even math which usually was awkward between Josie and I. But I had realized that whenever she went somewhere with her family, she seemed to miss the next day of classes. It worried me even though she told me that she had enough people worrying about her.  
  
I stepped out onto the ice about a half hour before the rest of the team came. It had been a while since I had last touched the ice, couple days to say the least. I used my edge giving me a quick push off from the boards, listening to my edge scratch the surface gently. I leaned on my edges, side to side. It felt so much better to be back on the ice.  
  
"_Never again_. Never again do I ever go this long without coming here." I whispered as I circled around the center dot and touching the ice with my bare hand. It was like I was promising the rink I would never leave it for so long. Like an apology.  
  
"I was wondering when you would be here."  
  
I spun around once and looked around the arena. "Who's there?!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the stands eerily. I stared at the benches and spun around again.  
  
"_Me_."  
  
I turned around and breathed a sigh of relief. "Coach." I huffed. "You scared the _shit_ out of me."  
  
"Sorry." Bombay offered with a laugh. "I didn't want to bother you. I just wanted to say hi to some of the Ducks before I talk to Ted."  
  
I shook my head immediately. "You're not bothering me. I'm just warming up." I explained, skating over to the glass as Bombay stood on the boards staring down at me.  
  
He licked his lips and blinked calmly at me. "Didn't look like you were warming up. It looked like you were in deep thought."  
  
I shrugged. "I try not to think on the ice. It's distracting. You have to let your instincts drive you."  
  
Bombay laughed at that. "Is that so? _Myself_, I find that skating is the one place I can figure things out." He stared me straight into my eyes. "Every time I felt like I messed up with the Ducks, I went out and skated and worked things out. It was almost theraputic." He smiled gently. "Always worked for me."  
  
I licked my lips, breathing in the cold air. "I don't understand."  
  
He shrugged. "Neither do I, but I think that's the point." He grinned and waved at someone at the other side of the rink.  
  
"Hello there!"  
  
I spun around and say Orion waving madly from the rink doors. I had never seen him like that before. He was almost _glowing_.  
  
"Hello Ted! I hear you have a new addition to the family!" Bombay called back with a grin. "How's the bundle of joy?!"  
  
"Broderick is fine!"  
  
Bombay jumped down from the boards with a thump. "You named your son _Broderick_?!" Their loud conversation was heard until the sound of Coach Orion's door closed behind them.  
  
I looked around the ice, my breathing echoing around me. It was so silent. So perfect. I frowned and bit my lip. How the hell was I supposed to figure this out on my own? I breathed deeply and skated off toward one of the nets, my fingers grazing the painted metal and nylon netting.  
  
Bombay was crazy. He has _no idea_ what he's talking about.  
  
I shrugged and skated along the boards to the bench, opening up the door and stepping in, and taking a seat.  
  
All she said to do was give her time. So I guess that's what I do for now, right? I chewed on my thumbnail furrowing my brow. I mean she _has_ to figure some stuff out for her. That's her business and I should stay out of it.That's how I got in trouble in the first place. So I should leave her be and do exactly what she asked. Nothing.  
  
_Right?  
_  
I mean that's what she's probably doing right now. She was probably figuring out everything that she needed to before we even _attempted_ to be friends. That's why she missed class. I mean it was just a coincidence that she was sorting things out the day after she saw her father. I mean it could've been any other day, but it was just luck of the draw...  
  
_Right?  
_  
I rubbed my hands together and bit my lip. Well that was one of those problems; it just didn't seem right.  
  
And I wanted to know what was _wrong_.

* * *

**A/N: Wow!! Long long long vacation from this story! I didn't mean to I swear! However I have a feeling I won't be having as much time to write anymore! I had to apply for an actual job, I have exams next week and in July I'm going to New York for a little while. However, I will be writing as much as I can. So, I'll try and keep updating (I am now writing 2 stories...) So I'll try my best and keep up with this one alright? Ok... it's been a bit too long to reply to the reviews (but I will next time! I swear!). So to everyone, thanks for the reviews and support and I will get on writing the next chapter really soon! Thanks a bunch!  
  
Toodles  
  
_KatieGirl _**


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